


Lightforge REDUX

by Insolentknight



Series: Lightforge [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Ancient Evil, Dark Past, F/F, F/M, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Necessary Evil, Out of Character, Religious Conflict, Saving the World, Second Personality, Tai and Summer are both dead, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, Weiss and Winter are twins, Were-Creatures, Witches, sealed evil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 67,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26005540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insolentknight/pseuds/Insolentknight
Summary: When Ruby Rose finds herself nearly devoured by someone she once called a friend, a mysterious Atlesian saves her. The soft blue glow of her eyes, her over protectiveness, and the loving tone she speaks to her with are all so familiar, but she just can’t put her finger on why. Who is she? But most importantly, why do so many Inhumans suddenly seem to want a piece of Ruby?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel/Velvet Scarlatina, Penny Polendina/Winter Schnee, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Series: Lightforge [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994605
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	1. Prologue

_I never believed I was destined for anything great. I was just a child who wasn’t supposed to live past my earliest years. Someone else was already lined up to take my place and all I needed to do was live out my existence until life deemed me obsolete, but she stayed by my side no matter what our family said. Eventually, I exceeded their expectations and I was recognized for my powers. It was believed that I would be the one to survive, but I supposed that wasn’t in the cards for either of us. Tragedy after tragedy befell us and we were both left broken, though with you at my side, things eventually became stable… Still, I suppose after all that I’ve done, it would be a far cry to ask for forgiveness that I do not even seek._

_You and I, we’ve shared many memories together, some sweet and others far more bitter. I strayed so very far from the path that I had chosen and you took its place for so very long… but it is clear that I was wrong to question my faith in my inner guidance. Our victories, your suffering, the indignation that followed me and those that chastised you for keeping me at your side – this was not the path I sought and it should not be what defines yours. Of that, I am certain._

_In the beginning, I felt like it was always there, pulling me ever closer to you… but I wonder when it was that I became unable to see the Light… It was gradual, but I felt its warmth fading more and more as we went on. I sincerely hoped every time that it was just something temporary and I felt that, even if it was just a little, my faith in it was restored every time I was at your side. I felt less hopeless, but somehow, I realized that I was draining your Light; and if I remained, I would sully the goodness within you._

_The more I understood this, I was suddenly unable to feel it. Even at your side, everything became so cold and dark. It was only when we were apart that I could see it and it shined brighter and brighter the further I went. That’s when I knew. The Light: it’s something that doesn’t want me and it never has… but that’s fine. It truly is._

_I’m so sorry that things ended this way, but I can’t turn back now and time only moves forward. I know that you will hate me for all that I have done and I’m prepared for the consequences. You will pursue me without hesitation because that is who you are and that is also fine, but you will never succeed in achieving what you desire. I can’t let you._

_By the time you read this, I will have done something so horrible that I cannot possibly ask for you to look past it. I can only ask that you pass the same judgment as you would any other lost soul… This world is full of burdens and I can only walk the most certain path to completing my final burden. We are pawns in someone else’s game and I find myself in a position where I can no longer allow things to continue as they have. Whether you come to understand me or not does not matter._

_I would apologize, but it’s not in me to lie to you or even give you false hope. You gave me the chance to rethink this once already, and I have found myself back where I started – only, this time I am more certain than I have ever been. Despite our efforts, we are two souls who were never meant to stand together._

_This is my path, Ruby. It is as I have chosen._


	2. Before the Storm

Sunset – those like her waited hour upon hour for this time of day. Darkness brought peace of mind, it brought safety, it brought action, adventure… it brought life… yet there was something sickening about the nightlife she was now resigned to.

Ever since that fateful day, she’d lived miserably, stalking the night like every other tainted soul that she shared it with now. She clenched her fist in anger, suppressing the rage she felt inside. First, she hadn’t been able to be there when she had been needed most and then she had to leave what remained behind! Those bastards really thought they’d get away with this. If only there were a way to turn back time. If only she could feel the warmth of the sun without the fear of a swift death… maybe then, she’d be able to get one over on them… but there were positives to being a vampire.

Sitting at the top of a hill, she found herself at the perfect vantage point to watch the events unfolding at the station across the field from her. Vampirism had done wonders for her sight, allowing her to see farther distances and pick up even the most minute details at night. For instance, she could make out the crimson red hair of that Faunus – the one with the bull horns. She growled to herself as he came into view from inside the station, firing a single bullet at one of the soldiers on sight.

It was amazing how quickly these Faunus in the White Fang could turn a place into a blood bath, especially when the Schnee Guard was involved. For ages, they’d waged war with the Schnee over the treatment of Faunus and Werebeasts, but the Schnee’s influence was far too powerful and the vast majority sided with them. That was why Inhumans, better known as Freaks, were treated with mistrust. That was, unless they bore the symbol of the Schnee branded on their backs. For a moment, she wondered if that man had also been branded, but she shook the thought away. It didn’t matter. She’d sworn her revenge and she would have it.

He fired off a few more shots and hurried to a truck, where a larger group of Faunus had opened fire on a young-looking soldier. The boy landed lifelessly against a truck. As they confirmed their kill, they dragged a blue-haired boy out from inside the vehicle. He tried so hard to fight back, but his efforts were for not and he was now screaming in pain on the ground. The bull Faunus hopped into the back of the truck they had apparently come in, setting down a briefcase. He then relayed orders to a single Faunus, who they left behind with the boy, and she assumed it was to clean up any messes.

There was something strange about this whole incident. Why go through the trouble of raiding one of the off-site armories. Yes, her father did have a habit of hiding things in unlikely places, but what would a Faunus want from one of these that could fit in that small briefcase? Was it a top-secret weapon? From the looks of it, it had to be ammunition of some sort, but weaponry was fairly easy to obtain on the black market. Something about this whole thing didn’t sit right with her, so she decided to follow him.

For miles, she tracked them until they turned off the main road and ducked into a dirt pathway that lead into an old mining site. Recalling knowledge from her human days, this territory was associated with a vampire safe house. A recent alliance between the Vampire Council and the White Fang had granted vampires safety in exchange for backing them and it worked out well in the White Fang’s favor.

Moments later, a dark flame wisped through the air, landing on the ground. In a beautifully dark conflagration, it shaped into the silhouette of a woman and slowly filled out into the colors of an Elder she despised with every fiber of her being. After all, fire and ice just did not mix very well.

“Did you find it?” The woman’s eyes glowed a vibrant red in contrast to their dark surroundings. She wore a red dress with golden accents and painfully high heels – a clear nod to her confidence. Anyone that felt safe enough to wear that in Freak-infested territories was either clearly insane or had absolutely no worries that anything could harm them.

“Well, if it isn’t the Fire Empress,” the bull Faunus smirked at her; his eyes following her somehow through the thick bandana that covered his eyes.

“I will never understand how you can see through that thing,” the Fire Empress snapped.

“I use my third eye,” he quipped back. “You know, control of chakra and all that. Thought you of all vampires would know about that.” A small flame danced across his feet and he smirked again. “Feisty tonight, aren’t we? But yeah, I got your little fix.” He opened the case and pulled a vile out, flipping it in the air and juggling it with one hand. “But honestly though, I should charge you more.”

“Adam,” the Fire Empress narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t test me.”

“Oh, don’t worry! It won’t cost much,” he caught it with a firm grip. “I just wanna’ know why this blood was so important that it was kept in a Weapons Research facility. It just struck me as odd how carefully guarded it was… So?” The vampire eyed the vial carefully, looking at it with need.

“This blood has the power to grant a vampire the ability to walk in daylight and become even greater than the Originator, himself!” She moved to snatch from him, but he drew his hand back. “Adam…”

“Ah ah ah, Cinder. I like to know what kind of deals I’m making with my devils,” he maintained his smirk. “What makes it so special?”

“Witch blood is capable of amazing things,” Cinder hissed. “One sip can make even the weakest vampire all-powerful.”

“How do you know?”

“I witnessed it once,” her eyes glowed menacingly beneath the bangs of her wavy dark mane of hair. “A woman who stands next to Ozpin on the Council. If I held that power, I could make her nothing.”

The power to walk in daylight? This was the chance she had been looking for and there was no way a vampire on the Council could be allowed to have that power. As the vial was passed to Cinder, a series of crystallized ice shards ate across the ground, splintering out at Cinder. The vial slipped from her hand and landed on a crystal, sliding down toward the bottom. Cinder grabbed toward it, but suddenly the ice began to devour it and it lodged itself inside the frozen spire.

“Who the hell are you?” Cinder growled, identifying a woman with strikingly beautiful white hair leered down on her from above. The fiery piress shot a glare at Adam. “I thought you said you took care of her.”

“I did!” Adam shouted back. “I have no idea how she’s here!”

“Turns out,” the woman in white’s eyes glowed the same furious red as her fiery counterpart. “I’m not that easy to just kill off. There’s something I have to do.”

“What?” Cinder let out a loud laugh. “There are no heroes in Vale, let alone you, Schnee.”

“She wasn’t bitten when I dropped her off at the gate,” Adam rejoined Cinder’s side and drew his katana. “There’s no way you came back to life. How are you here, Weiss?”

“What?” The ivory vampire hissed through her teeth. Even in death, that name was still haunting her. The last strand broke inside her and she felt herself crack. That’s right… She was _Weiss_ , right? That was her right now. It made no difference that no one could tell them apart. It didn’t matter that she was Winter or that Weiss had been long gone. Their worlds had melded into one in a single instance so many years ago. “That’s right. We’re one and the same now. I just have to make that woman pay for everything I lost. That’s all that matters now.”

“Oh ho? You’ll make me pay?” Cinder smirked as flames sparked to life around them. “I think she’s snapped, Adam.”

Taking advantage of the moment, Adam hacked at the ice containing the vial of blood and removed a chunk of crystal. He returned to Cinder and handed it her. Smirking at Winter, Cinder held it triumphantly.

“So much for your little stunt, dear,” she taunted the devastated looking girl. “But don’t worry. You’ll be joining our lovely donor soon enough.” Cinder hand began to glow and sizzle against the ice. “I’ll see to it myself.”

“…Witch’s blood…” Winter muttered with her head hung.

“Excuse me?”

“You said that it was Witch’s blood?” Winter clarified, glaring at her.

“Summer Rose, the prodigy herself.” Water began to pool at the fiery vampire’s feet. “Isn’t it poetic? We fought so many times, but in the end, it will be her own blood that makes me unstoppable.”

Winter’s eyes began to glow furiously and cracks began to form around the ice. The water that dripped from Cinder’s hand began to freeze over, spreading across her hand, hardening with an increasing pressure. A high-pitched crack rang out and suddenly the chunk of ice burst, shattering the vial along with it.

“No!” Cinder watched as the broken shards hit the ground and her gaze darted back toward the icy girl in an intense rage. “You’ll pay for that!” Flames roared to life around her, lashing out at everything as they encased her body and Adam shielded the eyes beneath his bandana from the sudden increase in light.

Cinder rushed toward the grinning Schnee and shoved her entire arm through her chest, leaving Winter gasping for air as the fiery vampires burned away at her lungs. Winter fell lifelessly limp… but something wasn’t right. The flames dancing around Cinder died down as she studied the woman in white. How could she die with a smile on? Another crack sounded out and her body devolved into an icy sculpture.

“Oh, how I wish I could have seen the look on your face,” a gleeful voice chimed. “But it seems I’ll have to wait until next time. Since you’ve so kindly renewed the hope I lost, I’ll call even for now… but fear not, my lovely Fire Empress!” The sculpture suddenly began to shape shift, growing larger and very snake-like. “I prepared a gift in advance, made with you in mind. I do hope you’ll enjoy it! Take care!”

Winter watched from afar in amusement as a fiery blaze lit up the sky. It had been a while since she had been in such good spirits. Sure, she hadn’t been able to steal the vial and even had to destroy it, but that didn’t matter. After all, they were making things so much more difficult for themselves than it needed to be. After spending most of her childhood under the mentorship of Summer Rose’s team, she knew there was an alternate solution to her problem - one that many of her own purposes.

“It seems that we were destined to meet again,” Winter narrowed her eyes at the tall buildings and lights in the distance. Vale – the place she had once called home, and the place where everything started. “But this time, every last one of you will pay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for checking out the REDUX guys! Really means a lot that you guys are giving this a chance. Seriously, I can’t stress how much I want to hear your thoughts. I do have a lot of confidence in this version and I truly hope that it is a bit easier to follow. If you guys are coming over from the original version, I do plan to have some things still occur, but let me know if there is anything that you definitely want to see to come back and if there is anything that isn’t clear!
> 
>   
> *-*FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ THE ORIGINAL. BIG FLASHING SPOILER. DO NOT READ.*-*
> 
> There are major changes that you’ll notice from the start; however I can assure you that this version of Weiss has always been my intention. This is down to her abilities, backstory, and character growth. Unfortunately, I did not make that very clear.
> 
> The story and relationship between Weiss/Winter is similar, but there have been a few changes - one of them being very massive. The first part of the story focuses on introducing the characters and their backstories, while introducing The Council and White Fang as the driving problem. Initially, we’ll be dealing with the conflict between Weiss (who temporarily has a different name/appearance) and Winter.
> 
> Lightforge has now been divided into five main arcs:
> 
> Bloodlines  
> Cultivation  
> Vanishing Point  
> Point of No Return  
> Salvation


	3. Nightmare

**ooO - Two Years Later - Ooo**

Blink. Blink.

“Are you alright?”

Silence.

“Miss Rose?” Amidst the blur of dark shapes in the room, a gentle voice called out to her and her eyes honed in on the direction the sound was coming from. Her eyes fluttered as the world slowly came into focus and registered a fairly tan, dark-haired man with an autumnal array of colors that made up the irises of his eyes. “You’re awake.”

“Headmaster, please don’t press her too hard.” Heels clacked lightly against the floor as the academy’s nurse approached him from behind. “Now that she’s conscious, I can give a proper examination.”

“I understand.” The school’s director sat beside Ruby and gave her a worried look. He was a strange man. Despite having been around long enough to have been her own parents’ headmaster, time had barely affected the man. Even with the stress that came with his job, not a single hair on his head had whitened and his skin still held the elasticity of youth. “Are you feeling alright?”

A cloudy feeling permeated through her mind and she moved her eyes from spot to spot as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Where was she? Just a few minutes ago, she had been walking through the hallways on her own personal mission to not be late to class, for once. Now, she found herself inside a fairly sterile looking room. What happened before this? She scooted back, deeper into the stiff pillow that was behind her and the bed creaked.

“Please be careful, Miss Rose.” His eyes were soft and his voice even softer, soothing her panic. “We found you passed out in the hallway and you were brought to the infirmary immediately. You’ve been out for several hours.”

“I,” Ruby paused to clear her throat and winced in pain. “I feel okay… but my head hurts a little…” She rubbed at her sinuses and closed her eyes in frustration. “What happened?”

“Are you sure?” He gave her a concerned look. “If you’re having a migraine-“

“My head’s just a little foggy,” Ruby wiped her hand across her face. “I can’t remember… what happened…”

“Other students said that you just passed out in the hallway,” he shifted uncomfortably. “You were calling out Weiss’ name in your sleep. Have you been having nightmares again?”

“I…” That’s right… She recalled the pale skin and red eyes of a white-haired woman staring into her own.

_“I finally found you.” The dream had been so vivid, bringing a shiver down Ruby’s spine as she recalled the details._

_As always, her dream began with the happy times they’d had as children, but as the dream went on, it told the story of how Weiss had once saved her. Weiss had been hurt so badly that she’d almost lost an eye and had been hospitalized for weeks – weeks that Ruby had heard very little and been unable to see her best friend._

_In that time, Weiss had grown to hate her and made it very clear when Ruby saw her again. The younger girl had been so excited to hear that Weiss was coming back and had been surprised to see that there was no trace of the damage to her eye. They had always been her favorite part about her best friend, but they were also what stopped her dead in her tracks before she could welcome her home._

_They’d always said that Weiss was cold and emotionless as a child, but the moment those crystal blue eyes caught hold of the faintest trace of Ruby’s outline, they’d always burst to life. Just… not this time. Ruby remembered the first time she felt the famed frigidness of the Schnee come over her and she froze in place. In the time that Weiss had been gone, the warmth she had once regarded the small girl with had completely iced over and Ruby could never break through again. The Schnee family’s duties called, and now, Weiss was gone._

_Just like everyone else that dared to be close to Ruby, she eventually died. Very little details were given to the public, but everyone knew that it was a White Fang attack that had led to her death. Those who were involved had let slip that her body had been left on display in front of the Schnee Manor and the Schnee matron, the last remaining symbol of Vale, had suffered a mental collapse upon finding her daughter in such a horrific state... but that was where Ruby’s dream took a turn from reality._

_In her dream, the sun was setting and she’d been walking home when it happened. As she’d made it to her street, the lamps came on and she saw the stark white figure of her beloved former best friend, stained vibrantly in red and dripping everywhere. The lamps flickered and suddenly she was gone._

_Being an avid fan of horror movies, Ruby’s instincts kicked in and she turned around, but nothing as cliché as she imagined happened. Shuttering at her own imagination, Ruby breathed a sigh of relief and quickly resumed her trek home. When she arrived at the gate, she hurriedly went through the painstaking process of putting in the pass codes that eventually granted entry to the brick wall that fenced in her home. She dropped her stuff on the ground near the door and eventually found her way to the living room couch, where she placed her phone on the table, collapsed onto the large piece of furniture and started drifting off to sleep... and then everything felt off._

_A chill filled the room and something creaked, causing Ruby’s eyes to shoot open. The presence of something dark and malicious loomed over her and an icy breath chilled the edge of her ear. The hair on her arms and neck stood, prickling inside her skin and an alarming chill ran through her, pooling at the nape of her neck before running its course through the rest of her body. She fought hard with the involuntary reaction and somehow managed to remain both silent and still. After a moment, the presence vanished and she waited an extra moment before she moved._

_How could someone have gotten in? She put a hand on the ground and placed her weight on it as she grabbed for her phone, but it was gone. Shit! She clambered around, feeling for it in the dark, and knocked something off the table that hit the table with a metallic ding. Her eyes widened as a dark presence slowly gathered behind her and she closed her eyes, silently praying that when she turned around it would just be a false alarm._

_“Looking for this?” A dreadfully familiar voice pierced the silence and Ruby’s world jarred. Her heart slammed against her chest and a lump stuck in her throat as she turned around at an agonizingly slow pace. As she did, the blood-soaked Schnee’s eyes bore down on her with a sickening oppression, but something was vastly different about her._

_The once-blue eyes Ruby had loved so much had been replaced with a maliciously crimson red, glowing with a needy hunger. Despite the large amount of blood soaked into her outfit, there was no evidence of wounds on her body. A wicked grin spread across Weiss’ features as she eyed her like a piece of meat and Ruby’s heart sank as she made out the outlines of sharp fangs. That wasn’t possible. Those suspected of vampirism were cremated and Weiss had been declared untainted before her funerary proceedings._

_“I’ve been thinking about you a lot, my little Rose.” The disdain she felt in Weiss’ voice as the pet name left her lips caused Ruby’s heart to sink further. Before things had changed, she’d had something else that she called her, but it had been so long that Ruby had forgotten it. Things happened and any trace of endearment between them had vanished._

_There was a brief delay in action between the two girls, but when it started, it happened so fast. Weiss dropped the phone and Ruby tried to flee from the couch, but the vampire pulled the furniture back and flipped it over. Barely able to process what happened, Ruby spilled out onto the floor and Weiss’ foot came down near her face. The white-clad vampire flipped her over and pinned her to the ground by her neck, crushing her windpipe with an inhuman strength._

_“I’ve finally found you.” Weiss neared her neck and Ruby began to hyperventilate, gasping for air that she could hold in due to the weight Weiss was placing on her chest. “Fear makes you taste sweeter!” And with that, Weiss sank her teeth into Ruby’s neck._

“Miss Rose…” A hand touched her arm, bringing her back to reality. Her eyes found the hand and she focused on the white fabric covering it, tracing the black sleeve of its coat until they eventually reached the owner’s eyes again. The headmaster tilted his head with a concerned expression, silently begging for a response.

“I remembered... a dream,” she looked around the room in a listless fashion, mentally naming the objects that decorated the walls in an effort to ground herself. Even if it was only a dream, it wasn’t her first time experiencing trauma like this and she was familiar with finding a way to keep herself from going back to the dark places. She wouldn’t let it happen so easily. “It happens every time I go _there_. It’s not new.”

“I see. Do you need someone to talk to about your nightmares?” The headmaster took her hand in between both of his own and spoke softly. “I should have protected your family better, Miss Rose. I wish that I could have changed the way things happened. If I had done things differently…”

“It’s not your fault, Oscar,” Ruby forced a smile. It really wasn’t. “How could you have known?”

“Ruby,” the older man gave her a bitter smile.

“Besides,” she faked a smile. “I was just being stubborn today. The lab took too much blood and I was running late to class.”

“I see,” he looked over her carefully. The child before him had long complained of nightmares, but recently they’d gotten worse. However, this was the first time she outright passed out after the Schnee took blood samples from her. They’d backed off and been doing it less often at his request, but he noticed they’d starting taking more as a result. “I’m still responsible for you while your family is away.”

“I was the one that decided not to take care of myself after,” Ruby dismissed his attempt at shouldering the blame. “Any way that you look at it, it was my fault.”

“They won’t see it that way,” he laughed bitterly. “I know that I’ve said it before, but I always have a room ready for you. I really wish you’d consider it, at least while they’re away.”

“Noooooo way, Oscar,” Ruby shook her head. “I was planning to stay with Penny until one of them gets back. I’ll be fine! They love having me over!” He smirked at her and shook his head.

“For a moment there, you reminded me of Summer,” he put a hand on her head and she winced under the pressure. “So resilient, even in her most frail times.”

“Yeah, well at my age,” Ruby winced. “Mom was already one of your go-to people. You even sent her out on the kinds of missions _real_ Hunters do.” Ruby threw her hands up in frustration. “Meanwhile, I can’t even do a _simple_ guard duty. How am I supposed to even _begin_ to compare to her?”

“Summer had her fair share of trials. Of that, I can assure you,” he spoke distantly as if he were reliving the past. “You just haven’t found your path yet, but you have so much untapped potential. We just need to figure out what it is that will draw it out for you.”

“Aaaaalright, Miss Rose,” the nurse sang out, pushing Oscar out of the room. “Now that you seem to be feeling a little better, I’m going to have to ask the headmaster to leave the room! Who knows what will happen if we keep you sitting still for too long!”

**ooOOoo**

Walking down the halls, Ruby headed listlessly to her locker. Had she really been out that long? She remembered getting to school, but now, half the school day had passed. What little books she had been carrying, the nurse had returned to her and she was now placing them in her locker… Who did she have next? Ironwood? Plum?... Port?! Yeah, that had to be it. Just as she exchanged her books for the correct ones, footsteps romped through the hallway.

“Ruby!!!” An overzealous girl with blue eyes and light strawberry blonde hair jumped on her, circling around her and shaking her by the shoulders. “What happened?! I thought you died and then I would have been sad, but I would have had to wait to mourn you because I’d have to go break some legs and there’s no time for sadness when you’re exacting revenge, so then I’d have to apologize when I finally had the time and I’d totally miss your funeral, but you’d understand, right?.... RIGHT?!”

Ruby’s head spun at the word vomit that metaphorically slapped her in the face. Nora could be so aggressive at times, but it was always good-willed and put a smile on her face. She really had a way of making things bright, even when there was only darkness.

“Haha, for you, Nora?” Ruby smiled. “I’d totally forgive you. My revenge is in your hands.”

“VENGEANCE WILL BE MIIIIIIIIIIINE!”

“Don’t you mean _mine_?” Ruby raised an eyebrow and pointed to herself.

“Eh, tomayto tomahto,” the Venetian blonde waved it off smoothly. “Same thing.”

“Ah, Nora, don’t hang off of her like that!” An Asian boy with a pink streak in his hair pulled her away. “She’s still recovering!”

“Noooo,” Nora reached to and yelled overdramatically. “My love!”

“We’ll be together soon,” Ruby called back playfully.

“And we’d better consummate!” Nora gave her a thumb up and stuck out her tongue.

“Wait, what?”

“Nora!”

“Relax, Renny,” Nora put her hands behind her head and pursed her lips. “I’m just kidding.”

“What did I just witness?” A tall boy with short blonde hair joined them, along with another light red-head, a rabbit-eared Faunus, and a posh-looking girl with short brown hair.

“Hello, friends!” The red-head saluted them and scoured over them until her green eyes landed on Ruby. “Ruby, sal-u-tations! Are you feeling better?”

“Hey Penny,” Ruby gave her a thumb up. “I’m feeling much better!”

“Sen-sational!”

“They said I haven’t been getting enough rest, so I just need to sleep more,” Ruby sighed. “I’m gonna’ try to do that over the weekend though.”

“You have terrible luck though,” the posh brunette stated as they left their lockers and headed to their next class. Somehow, the whole group had wound up together. “It’s like a black cloud just permanently follows you everywhere.”

“Coco!” The rabbit girl gasped and Ruby stopped walking, losing herself in her thoughts. “You can’t say things like that!”

“What?” Coco held her arms out. “It’s not like I said she deserves it! I’m just saying that Ruby has really bad luck!”

“Ruby, don’t pay attention to her!” The rabbit girl tried to comfort her. “Coco’s just being mean.”

“No, she’s right,” Ruby kept eyes from meeting any of the others’. “First, my- my parents, then there was _the field trip_ , and now this… I’ve always had horrible dreams right before something happens and they’re keeping me awake at night again. I can’t sleep.”

“Ruby,” Penny said softly. “None of us blame you for that field trip or Pyrrha. You weren’t even with us.”

“No, but I-“

“Ruby Rose,” Nora chimed in. “The only butts here are the ones those dreams of yours are gonna’ start kissing! Cuz we’re ready for anything your dreams throw our way now!”

“Someone’s optimistic today,” Coco muttered under breath sarcastically. “Ow!” The brunette yelped in pain as Velvet elbowed her.

“What Coco means is that Nora is inspired,” Velvet eyed her companion dangerously. “And we would all love to help any way we can. Isn’t that right, Coco?”

“Uh,” Coco started to perspire. This damn rabbit was the only one that managed to put the fear of God into her. Which was ironic considering Velvet was usually the timid one in the group… and had the least field experience of them all; including Ruby, who wasn’t even allowed to operate on field missions. “I mean, why are we acting like Ruby’s totally defenseless? Sure, I agree she needs help, but she’s one of the best shots in Signal.”

“You guys know… I can’t really perform under pressure,” Ruby twiddled her thumbs and looked away. “Once we get into a hostile environment, I freeze up. I can’t even handle basic guard duty the right way.”

“Her grades are a trainwreck too,” Nora cracked. “Just ask her about Port’s class.”

“Guys, give her a break,” Jaune put his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner as they approached the aforementioned teacher’s classroom. “She’s already had a rough day. Let’s just get through this class and call it a day!”

“Well, with all that sleep, you’d better be able to stay awake,” Coco poked at her. “Cuz I don’t think _tired_ is gonna’ cut it as an excuse this time.”

“Uh, Ruby, do you have to meet with Ironwood today?” Jaune asked. “Or do you think it’s a good idea?”

“Ironwood…” Ruby look up in thought. Ironwood was in charge of Signal’s armory and she assisted him with weapon maintenance. It was the one thing that really got her mind off of things, and he’d been pretty busy recently. Yang had been placed on a mission that went out of town and he had been directly responsible for making sure her team was outfitted with proper equipment. “No, not today. He’s being super anal about equipment and wanted to make sure he handled it all. They’ve got him on standby to head into the field if needed.”

“Ah, I see.” Jaune hummed to himself and looked off in the distance. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Well, I can’t really efficiently test all the weapons…”

“Does that mean you’re still having trouble with Lightforge, Ruby?” Ren asked.

“Yeah,” Ruby sighed. “I’m fine with testing ranged weaponry. LF ammo is pre-loaded and it releases on impact, but close-quarters weaponry is different. Like, I can’t channel LF.”

“That’s super weird,” Jaune said. He’d always found this quality of Ruby’s to be fairly strange. All humans possessed an affinity for Lightforge. Even if they couldn’t produce it themselves, they could still channel an external source of it… but that’s just how it was. Humans could use Lightforge, while Darkforge was poison to them. Freaks were the opposite… but Ruby was different. “I still don’t understand how Forge just doesn’t affect you. I didn’t think it was possible for a human to have no affinity for Lightforge.”

“Y’know, I ‘ve always wondered this, but if Forge doesn’t affect Ruby,” Coco wondered out loud. “Then what does that mean if a Freak bites her? Darkforge works by infecting the Lightforge within a host, but having no affinity means she doesn’t have any Forge within her, right???” Ruby stopped in her tracks and blinked in surprise. She’d never really thought about it like that. Did she have immunity to the mutations that Darkforge caused???

“I… I don’t know,” she started. “I’ve never thought about it, but honestly, the Schnee never tell me what they’re testing me for when they drag me out of school. Do you guys think that might be why???”

“Well, the Schnee are pretty on top of things like that,” Nora held both arms out to her sides and shrugged. “If you ask me, you should demand some answers! I can help with that!”

“Please don’t,” Ren pouted. “You’ve given me enough trouble this week.”

“Oh, come on, Renny! It was _one_ Grimm!”

“And what happened when you hit that _one Grimm_?” He air quoted her.

“Eeeer, I _may_ have started a feud between two vampires,” Nora looked away. “But we finished our mission.”

“No,” Ren corrected her. “You rode it into battle declaring that the territory was yours and told _your new subjects_ to bow before you or face certain death… and if they didn’t like it, they had to go through _me_! Their _feud_ was with you and you dragged _me_ into it…”

“Eh,” Nora shrugged. “Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.” Nora grinned playfully and hopped into his arms. Ren stumbled and caught her, with his legs wavering as he regained his balance. “Where else would I be without my gallant knight!”

“Christ,” Coco gagged and rolled her eyes. “Could you _be_ anymore fake?” She took her place in her seat as they waited for Professor Port to arrive. “Anyways, it’s kinda’ good that Ruby can’t go out in the field right now.”

“Why’s that?” Nora frowned.

“The Puritans,” Jaune sighed. “With the rise in vampire activity, those jackasses have been on the move again and the sightings are getting dangerously closer to Vale. We have an agreement with them that states they won’t cross our borders as long as we stay out of their business, but it looks like they’re testing the Vale’s patience.”

“Uh,” Ruby raised her hand timidly and her friends looked at her curiously. “Puritans?”

“Seriously,” Coco said to herself. “What do you do all class?”

“I,” Ruby found an interesting spot on her desk. “Have a very active imagination that can’t be contained.”

“Samesies!” Nora declared with a high five.

“It’s like you’re the same person sometimes,” Coco mumbled under her breath. “The Puritans are a highly religious sect, blessed with Holy powers. Rather than going after Freaks, they view all Forgebearers as humankind’s enemies. That means that they consider the Freaks that ally with us and Lightforge bearers to be enemies. Dark or Light, it doesn’t matter to them. If you can use Forge, you’re an Unholy being to them and must be _cleansed_.”

“Well,” Ruby shifted uneasily. That meant like baptism or exorcism, right? “That doesn’t seem so bad.”

“Ruby, it means they’ll kill you…” Velvet gripped her shoulders firmly and given her a single shake for emphasis. “And I’ve heard they take their time…” Ruby shuttered, as a chill ran up her spine.

There were people out there that just enjoyed torturing innocent people? She looked at her friends and thought about life without them. It wasn’t pleasant to think about it and hearing things like this made her incredibly uneasy, knowing that her friends often did minor operations within city limits. She sorely wished that she could just suddenly become a real asset out on the field, but that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. For now, she needed to focus on getting better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Chapter set ups! Information, strange happenings, religious sects, lab testing, friends, TIME SKIPS!!! What more could you want??? (a better storyyyyyy) Aight, I joke. Happy Turkey Day to those that celebrate! If you don’t, I still hope your meals were awesome and you were surrounded by good people!


	4. Berryoska

“Today, we’re discussing a creature many of you are quite familiar with,” Ruby watched as the professor’s bushy mustache bobbed up and down with each word. “But have very little understanding of! It’s very important that you know how they work, if you want to succeed! Why, I was your ages when I had my first run-in with a Grimm! I-.“

Every class was the same. Professor Port would announce the class’ subject, but he was an easily distracted man that hardly knew the meaning of modesty. Halfway through addressing them, he would _always_ get swept up in some story about mission her participated that ended in some sort of ridiculous outcome. Some days the stories were amusing, but a lot of the time they were filled with so many boring details that Ruby found herself daydreaming about the different weapons she wished she could be working on. Too bad she wasn’t going to be in the gun cage until Ironwood came back.

Still, Port would just drone on and on until the class was over, then suddenly remember he needed to assign them homework on the subject. It was no wonder this was the class she was failing… and those stories were exactly why she was so thankful to have a window seat.

Watching the students in PE was infinitely more entertaining that some drawn out story about how Port swam across a lake with some kind of giant pelt or something. At least, the PE kids looked like they were having fun. Then there were the ones practicing hand-to-hand combat and her personal favorite – paintball. Sure, it hurt, but where was the fun without that? Both she and her sister firmly believed in the long time teaching of “No pain, no gain”. Their uncle had practically preached it to them their entire lives.

As she scanned over the yard, her eyes spotted something strange that she almost skipped past. She had to do a double-take and leaned closer to the window to be sure her eyes weren’t tricking her. Beneath a tree, there was a large dark wolf with a glowing outline. She knew that some Faunus could summon familiars, but she’d never seen anything like it. It was almost frightening actually. In fact, it almost looked like… a Grimm… and it was staring right back at her with a pair of mismatched red and blue eyes.

She backed away from the window for a moment to rub her eyes and looked back out the window, but whatever it was it had vanished. Maybe her eyes were just tricking her. After all, she hadn’t been sleeping and was still recuperating from passing out earlier. She mulled over it a bit more until one of the resident class troublemakers caused a scene.

“Uh, no offense,” Cardin Winchester, a relatively well-built and tall boy spoke out. “But are we gonna’ actually learn something today? Because this is a subject I’m actually interested in, for once, and your story is kinda’ ruining it.”

The class went silent as Port stopped dead in the middle of his sentence. The portly man was shocked, or at least, that’s what Ruby thought. It was fairly difficult to read the man’s expressions past his well-kept, yet somehow still shaggy features. Port suddenly let out a jolly laugh and somehow got himself back on track.

“Cardin, my boy! Right, you are!” He patted his belly in emphasis. “I like that fire! Why it reminds me of…” Several students groaned and he stopped himself. “Ho ho, I almost lost myself there again! By show of hands, how many of you have ever fought a Grimm?” Ren and Nora raised their hands, along with Coco and a few others. “I see! Some of you have been in service, but many of you have only had guard and security duties. I think that we can turn this into a learning experience based on your own experiences! What can you tell me about them?”

“They kill and eat people and vampires summon ‘em,” Cardin blurted out and leaned back in his chair.

“No way!” Nora stuck her tongue out. “Grimm don’t eat people. Sure, casualties happened, but a Grimm’s sole purpose is to hunt humans for vampires to eat.”

“Miss Valkyrie, correct!!” Port announced with another jolly laugh. “Killing, hunting, and consuming are all completing different things but this is one of the most important differences when facing vampires and their familiars. If a Grimm captures you, you still have a chance to survive. Only when you are in its master’s clutches are you doomed.”

“Well, that’s easy,” Cardin lifted a single arm and scoffed. “Just kill the vampire. They’re not _that_ difficult.”

“Hmmm, Mr. Winchester, maybe it’s better that we use this as an opportunity to better understand vampire hierarchy. You see, a Frenzying sireling who cannot yet control their desires and has not regained their ability to think coherently is something that is entirely feasible for someone at your level to take on. They are dangerous, but predictable… and they sit at the bottom of the totem pole. They are the weaklings.”

“Did Port just say Frenzying sirelings are weak?” Velvet whispered and Coco nodded in response, earning a whine from the rabbit girl. “Whyyyyyy…”

“Next, we have the Nobles – those who have regained their ability to reason and have begun to develop their powers, but still cannot form Darkforge cloaks or summon Grimm. It is very unlikely that trainees such as yourselves would survive an encounter, but not entirely impossible.” He began to write the titles on the board behind him as he spoke, starting at the bottom and going up. “Then all the way at the top, you have the Elders. They are the most powerful and lead their own covens, whose powers stem from their own. They often cloak themselves in their own Darkforge to hide their identities.”

He wrote the word “Elders” at the top and stopped at the end of the word, leaving his chalk pressed against the bored. Somehow, he became very somber and slowly retracted his hand. It was at this moment, the class felt his energy completely change.

“It is these ones that take the place of the most dangerous creatures on Earth. They are so mindbendingly deceptive and ruthless that only Elite level Hunters are permitted to hunt them. Do not engage them. If you run into them, it’s recommended that you be prepared to take your own life. They are so impossibly difficult to fight and there aren’t enough Elites to guarantee that they can kill them and set you free. Even then, freedom is only if they choose to make you one of their slaves as opposed to just killing you. Vale has lost many a talented Hunter and I’ve personally lost many good friends to these vile creatures.” He paused for a heavy moment and looked over all of them. “It’s times like these that I am reminded that I should have appreciated things more. Look at your fellow classmates.” He waited for the students in each row to do so. “Now look down your individual rows.”

“There are 30 of you, in this class alone – much as mine was also,” he inhaled deeply. “5 students to a row, six rows. Many of you are seventeen, eighteen year olds – so fresh-faced and eager to prove yourselves… But out of each row, one of you will not make it to see your 20s. Out of those left, only 10 to 15 of you will lead successful careers. When I look back on my time spent behind these walls 20 years ago, there are less than ten of us remaining alive and even less than that remaining in service…”

Eventually, Port’s class ended but his words still weighed on Ruby’s mind as she leaned against her locker. The way he put it, it sounded like she could lose any one of her friends at any time. She really didn’t want to think about that right now, especially with her nightmare still so fresh in her mind.

“Hey Rubes,” Nora rested her head Ruby’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it so much. None of us are going anywhere.”

“I mean, it was kind of a reality check,” Coco surprised them. “We get sent on lesser missions, but there’s always a chance that something goes wrong.”

“Yeah, but I kinda’ remember Port being around a lot when I was little,” Ruby shifted uneasily. “I think Port served alongside my parents… I mean, he’s way older, so they definitely weren’t classmates, but still…”

“I see what you mean,” Coco said distantly. There was another heavy silence that stood over them.

The subject of Ruby’s parents was something that was rarely ever brought up. Everyone in Vale knew their story well. They were the most famous and influential teams of Hunters to have come from Vale. In fact, they’d been credited with much of Vale’s success. Unfortunately, they’d been too successful and the vampire council’s leader himself was the one who killed them, leaving Ruby and her older sister terrified but alive… It was also the driving force in why they both elected to become Hunters, though Yang had much more success.

“You know what,” Coco frowned as she watched the different emotions play across Ruby’s face. “You need to get out!”

“Coco, I don’t think that’s really appropriate,” Velvet’s voice came out nervously behind her. As someone who had grown up alongside Coco, Velvet knew very well what _getting out_ meant to her best friend.

“Oh, c’mon! Look at her,” Coco motioned toward Ruby. “She looks like she could use a few drinks – maybe some dancing. You know, blow off some steam! Besides, it’s been a while since we’ve taken Ruby out! It’ll do her some good! The city’s even started that new UV lighting system, so it’s safe to walk on the streets at night now! What do you say, Ruby?”

“Uuuuuuh…”

“Wait, what are we talking about?” Jaune asked.

“Ladies Night, Jaune!” Coco narrowed her eyes. “Butt out! Unless you got boobs, you’re not welcome here!”

“Oh, come on!” He pouted. “You guys seriously aren’t inviting me again?!”

“Jaune, it’s better that you just leave it alone,” Ren said calmly as he joined the group. “The last thing you want to do is get Coco riled up. Nora will join her.”

“Renny, you make me sound like a bad person!” Nora pouted and he sighed. “Don’t worry, Jaune! We’ll take extra shots just for you!”

“That also means that we should stay up and be ready to get them when they become completely unable to walk home…” Ren sighed to himself.

“Ruby and I are _totally_ DD material!” Nora wrapped an arm around Ruby’s neck and pulled her in.

“Nora,” Ren said flatly. “Neither of you have a license…”

“Pshhhh, who said anything about _driving_?” Nora waved him off. “We’re the Designated Drunks! Booyah! Cocooooooo, you should totally find Ruby something to weeeeear!”

“Doesn’t she have clothes?” The posh girl’s aviator shades slid down the bridge of her nose.

“Yeah, but if we let her dress herself,” Nora whispered loudly. “She’ll totally wear a hoodie and some sweats. You _know_ we can’t allow her to dress herself for a club setting! Besides, I wanna’ go to that new spot that’s Faunus and Were-friendly! I totally scoped it out already and Junior’s looks awesome! Yang told me about it!”

“Yang… went to a Freak-friendly bar???” Ruby asked in a surprised manner. It wasn’t that she disliked Faunus. It was just that Yang held reservations about Inhumans, in general. There were the good ones, but there were many that harbored ill-intent toward humans. The main reason she was such good friends with Velvet, Nora, and Jaune was because they came before the incident.

“Yeah, she said the owner provides sanctuary to them, as long as they respect each other,” Nora shrugged. “Keeps us out of trouble. I also heard he’s the guy to talk to if something’s going down. Probably why Yang even went there in the first place.”

That did sound like Yang. Internally sighing, Ruby sagged her shoulders and grew tired at the thought of the poor bar owner that had to deal with her sister. If she were there to drink, it would probably be a good night… but if she went to get info from him, it was probably a good thing that they didn’t resemble each other, at all.

“Well, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” Stumbling as she was pushed by the excitable red-head, Ruby tried to fight back and regain her balance to no avail. “Let’s goooooo! Coco, Velvs! Let’s pamper this princess!”

“Huh,” Coco breathed an agitated sigh. “I’ve got a lot of work cut out for me.”

“Hey!”

**ooOOoo**

“Aaaaaand, there!” The brunette slowly turned Ruby around to face the mirror and Nora squealed with Velvet in delight. The whole ordeal had been met with complaint after complaint from Ruby, but eventually, she conceded and let Coco do what she wanted.

“Are you sure this skirt isn’t a little… you know?” Ruby turned herself in each direction, watching the fabric sway gently. Coco at least tried to stick with Ruby’s normal palette, though she deviated a bit from her personal style and gave it the _Coco Touch_.

She started with a black and red asymmetric style of flannel patterned dress. The dress itself was sleeveless and the longest side cut off just above her knee, while the other side was several inches shorter and felt breezy. Unfortunately, Ruby was totally fine with leaving the house like that and Coco dragged her back by her toes, kicking and screaming. There was no way she was going to let her friend leave looking so… basic…

The solution to Coco’s dilemma came in the form of a black long-sleeved blouse that she pulled over the top of the dress. The piece matched the dress’ asymmetry and fit snuggly against Ruby’s form, covering Ruby’s barren arms and shaping the dress along Ruby’s curves. As an accessory, Coco placed a black leather belt around her waistline to further enhance her curves and was delighted with her work.

“Last but not least!” Coco all but skipped over to her closet and came back with something black, placing it at the top of Ruby’s head. “No look is complete without a beret!”

“Ahahahahaha,” Nora let out laugh. “It started cool but now you look like a hipster! Even my grandma wouldn’t do that!”

“You are _absolutely_ right!” The fashionista clapped her hands together in emphasis. “I should have seen it sooner!” Coco walked up behind her and hiked the skirt up. “We need you to show off _more_ skin! Just a few minor adjustments and-”

“What? No!” The poor tortured soul that was Ruby shrieked as she attempted to force the skirt back down. “It’s fine the way it is!!! Just… maybe not the hat…”

“It’s a beret, thank you! And are you sure?” Coco almost pouted from behind her fashionable sunglasses. “I mean, you’ve got killer legs! Why not show them off?! I mean, it’s just unfair that these perfect legs and this slim physique just go to waste!”

“Because you guys always act like this!” Ruby defended herself. “You practically can’t wait to treat me like a dress-up doll!”

“To be fair, you eat an insane amount of junk food and have an ungodly metabolism to counter it,” Coco said flatly, trying not to give too much of her jealousy away. “While the rest of us have to put in hard work to maintain our _shapely_ physiques, you have the luxury of not even trying. So pardon us, if we have a little fun at your expense!...” Coco eyed her slyly. “Besides, we haven’t even started the best parts yet!”

“Shoes and make-up?!” Nora popped back to life.

“Shoes and make-up,” Coco nodded in confirmation and the two grinned maniacally at their prey.

“I’m so sorry Ruby,” Velvet whimpered. “It’ll be over sooner if you just let it happen. My thoughts are with you.”

“Traitor!”

By the time all was said and done, Ruby was now Coco’s take on a gothic style. It wasn’t overbearingly gothic, but the influence was definitely there. Having compromised, Coco added a pair of black stockings with a dark rose pattern going up the sides so that Ruby felt less naked, but still showed off the definition. However, the rose’s presence gave Ruby a sneaking suspicion that Coco bought them for a future outing with her in mind.

As for make-up choice, she’d gone light and focused on accenting Ruby’s eyes enough to make them pop. Ruby’s skin was already a perfect milk-white and needed very little application, other than to hide the odd blemish here and there. She’d fluffed her hair out a bit and sprayed it with a holding spray to give her more volume and made sure that it framed her face.

As for footwear, the high heels had been a disaster. Coco mentally noted that they would have to get some practice in for the future. She refused to have a female friend that couldn’t walk in heels. After all, high heels were the ultimate way to train your balance! Or so her mother had said. However that worked… Either way, she’d settle for knee high boots with flat soles. It was a rather complete look, if she did say so herself.

“Perfect!” Coco admired her work. “I’m sure all the ladies will drop their panties for y- ow!” Coco yelped in pain as Velvet smacked at her.

“Or guys!” The rabbit insisted on Ruby’s behalf. “She could totally bag some guys too!”

“Pshhhh, please!” Nora barreled into the conversation. “Have you guys met Ruby? She’s so far in the closet, she’s finding Christmas presents!”

“Guys, I’m not gay!” Ruby whined. Why was this always a topic when it was just the three of them? It was like those two had zero confidence in her ability to attract guys. She was just lucky they weren’t trying to dress her in masculine attire anymore… not that she hadn’t enjoyed it… but still! “I just haven’t found anyone I’m interested in!”

“TEN! DOLLARS!” Nora exclaimed. “Says it’s a girl when it finally happens.”

“I’ll take that bet!” Coco finally emerged from closet looking every bit as dazzling as they’d expected. “Because she’s going to try to prove you wrong and get a guy, first!... before she eventually winds up with a girl!”

“Guys, I’m totally still here and I can hear you!” Ruby groaned. “You know, I could also _not_ be interested in people!”

“Soooo, what you’re saying is that you’re into non-humans?” Nora wiggled her eyes brows in unison and jumped on her suggestively. “Look out guys! Don’t tell Renny, but he’s got competition for my heart!”

“Oh, whatever!” Ruby laughed as Nora made kissing faces at her and pushed her away.

“You’re mine, I tell you!” The energetic girl clung to Ruby’s arm. “All mine!”

**ooOOoo**

The UV lights were actually kinda’ nice. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen them, since Vale law required homes to be outfitted with front and back porch lights at minimum. It was up to the homeowner if they wanted more and Uncle Qrow certainly hadn’t been stingy. Not when it came to his nieces and everything they’d already been through. No vampire would step foot in their home… but the city? This was huge!

The streetlights lined the roads, keeping them well-lit and safe. It was actually strange seeing people out at night for once. Usually, people were relatively scarce, save for the night patrols. Yeah, they were still out, but recently, they were simply running routine checks and making sure the lights were operating properly. The best part though had been that there had been very few incidents reported and those that were, were the rare cases involving Faunus and Weres. In fact, it only really happened in relation to a terrorist group called the White Fang.

This was really nice though. Ruby couldn’t really recall a time where she’d seen people walking down the streets at night with smiles, laughter… feeling safe… and it made the walk to the club even better than it was. For once, she could say that she wasn’t terrified of what the night brought.

They drew closer to the club, which had a bit of a line outside of it. Well, it was good to know that it stayed busy. She could tell that several of the clubbers were Faunus, but the Weres and humans were pretty difficult to tell apart. She’d really only know if she talked to them or if they changed or showed their powers. Outside of that, Weres looked just as human as any other. Coco had eventually told them that while humans and Faunus were allowed at all times, Weres weren’t allowed at Junior’s Nightclub during full moons for obvious reasons. There was simply no guarantee that they had 100% control over their beast. Even those that had received Schnee Brands and had been labeled masters of their beasts could still have one bad night and few wanted to take the chance on that, including the Weres themselves.

Scanning the rooftops, Ruby enjoyed the clear sky. The moon was a bright thumbnail, eclipsed in darkness. Despite the purple haze that tinted the view, the stars twinkled brightly creating a romantic view on its own and she longed to share something like this with whoever first love interest would be. Something this simple would be perfect.

As she looked over the moon, a shape came into view, just in front of the moon. Two ears fluffed out to the side of a canine silhouette and the same two mismatched eyes shined out from it – the left blue and the right red. At first, she wasn’t sure if it was the light from the moon, but it shifted positions and she could tell that it was a glow… It was the wolf from earlier. Was it following her? The hairs stood on her neck a bit and her blood ran cold.

“Hey, Ruby! C’mon,” Nora grabbed her arm, startling her. “The door guy needs your Hunter ID or you can’t get in!”

“Oh, sorry, sorry!” Ruby fished through the small purse that Coco claimed completed her look. She fumbled through her wallet and eventually gave him the card. He gave it a once-over front and back and glanced back and forth between her and the card.

“A Rose, eh?” He passed it back to her with a smile. “Your family’s always welcome at Junior’s. Always done great things for us, but don’t be so nervous. Lighten up a bit and try to have some fun.”

With that all the girls made their way in, but Ruby shot a look back. However, unlike earlier, the wolf was still there watching. It made eye contact with her for a moment and then slowly walked away as her friends dragged her further in. Who the hell was watching her?

As for the club, it was huge inside! Wide and open spaces with several booths along the walls and a fully stocked bar took the center stage, stacked with glass shelves and lined with blue LED lights. The inside of the bar was lined with a variety of glassware and the bartenders were dressed in sleek black attire, each with “Junior’s” printed where the breast pocket would be.

Coco and Nora dragged the two more timid girls to a table where they found Penny, who had been sitting alone under the low hanging light. The girls all crowded into the booth, giggling as the leather seats squelched beneath them and started looking over the drink menu.

“Sal-u-tations, friends!” Penny greeted them. “I was starting to think that I had missed you!”

“Nah,” Nora grinned. “Coco had a field day with dressing Ruby up. You know how much she loves that.”

“What can I say,” Coco shrugged. “She’s got a lot of potential to work with.” As if on cue, Coco dragged her out from the table. “I mean, do you see the fine work I put into this?!”

“Um, no offense Coco, but…” Ruby shifted uncomfortably. “I’ve been meaning to ask you since earlier…”

“Why did I give you a gothic type of look?” Coco grinned.

“Yeah…” Ruby looked at herself. “Well, I mean, it’s kinda’ Scene Goes Goth, but yeah. That.”

“Easy!” Coco chirped. “You’re gonna’ hang out with the night life, so you might as well look the part! It’s gonna’ be fun! Besides, who cares if you look a little bit like the vamps! No one provides safe haven to them and they aren’t even welcome in the city. You can’t even be confused for one! Besides, you’re Ruby frickin’ Rose! Even the door guy recognized you!...” Coco paused as a cute bunny girl walked up and introduced herself as their waitress. Coco proceeded to flirt with her, causing Velvet to puff up with jealousy and Ruby couldn’t help but wonder when the diva would realize that Velvet liked her. “Well, hello gorgeous! Now, let’s get some drinks for Ruby’s virgin lips!”

“Waaait, whaaaaaaaat?” Nora’s voice was a mixture of a growl filled with excitement. “You’ve _never_ had alcohol before?”

“Oh no,” Penny gasped beneath her hands. “Nora’s the last person we should let hear that.”

“Well, I mean,” Ruby fidgeted again, looking unsure of herself. “Yang and Uncle Qrow let me have champagne on New Year’s so…”

“THAT DOESN’T COUNT!!!” Nora latched onto her again and started dragging her away from the table. “Omgomgomgomg, this is so exciting! Boy, am I gonna’ teach you some things! We’re gonna’ go straight to the bartender and we’re gonna’ set you up with the most awesome drinks EVER! You’re gonna’ get so waste- I mean, relaxed, and then you’re finally gonna’ sleep and have good dreams… or no dreams! Either way, you won’t remember ANYTHING!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!”

“Um, you’re scaring me,” Ruby looked back at the rest of her friends for help. The only response she got was Penny and Velvet looking away, followed by Coco mouthing the word ‘RIP’. “…Traitors…”

Nora grabbed a drink menu and started talking to the bartender about different kinds of drinks. Eventually, she settled on something that apparently fit the description of “a shit load of vodka”. When Nora finally got her drink, she urged Ruby to smell it and the only word she felt could describe it was “death”, but Nora happily started chugging it down. Eventually, Ruby finally ordered something, but Nora had to check on what it was.

“Um, a…” Ruby ducked her head further into the menu as she read it. “Red… Bull… Punch?”

“….” To emphasize her disappointment, Nora threw her head back and chugged her drink. As she drained the glass of its contents, she held a finger out to signify for Ruby to wait. Once she finished it, she slammed it down. “What?! I don’t think I heard you right. A Red Bull Punch?! There’s no alcohol in that, Ruby! Bartender, cancel that! We’re doing shots!” The bartender gave them both a glance, looking back a forth for confirmation before continuing. 

“I don’t think I’m ready for shots, Nora,” Ruby sighed. “But you clearly know more than I do. Just don’t kill me.” The bartender gave her a merciful chuckle and Nora declared her victory.

“Why don’t I try to help you two out?” He offered. “Anything you like flavor-wise?”

“Ooo, ooo! This is her first time,” Nora grinned. “So let’s make it something flavorful and like berries! C’mere, c’mere!” He leaned in a little bit closer and she whispered in his ear.

“I think I can do that for ya’!” He smiled and set to work. Ruby admired the focus he had and he almost looked like he was masterfully concocting potions. She smiled as she watched him and wondered if she looked this way when she worked with Ironwood in the gun cages.

As she watched him, she suddenly became aware of someone across the bar. It was another girl who looked to be around her age, dressed in dark clothing that complimented her dark hair and crystal blue eyes. Jesus, she was alarmingly beautiful. The girl smiled her way and swished around a drink, before taking a sip. Knowing she’d been caught, Ruby looked down and panicked. Eventually, she looked again, but the girl was gone. Just her luck… wait… NO. WAY. She wasn’t gonna’ let her friends be right!

“Um,” Nora’s voice broke her away from her thoughts as the red-head motioned toward their table. Ruby’s eyes followed their direction and spotted Penny alone with a drink. “I’m gonna’ go check on Penz. Looks like they left her alone. You gonna’ be fine if I leave ya’ for a few mins?”

“Oh, yeah! The bartender is friendly enough,” Ruby waved her off. “Go on!”

“Be back soon, love!” Ruby rolled her eyes at the nickname. A drink suddenly sat in front of her and the bartender gave her a welcoming smile. She eyed the concoction dangerously and hesitated.

“It’s not too bad,” he offered. “I went light on the liquor for you. Wouldn’t wanna’ kill you your first time, though your friend might have had other plans. Haha!”

Taking the glass in her hands, she examined it carefully. The drink was a cloudy mixture of yellow that blended into a pink tinted color. Bits of strawberry floated throughout it and coated the bottom of the glass. Out of curiosity, she stirred it and more of the fruit floated up from the bottom and she smelled it. There was a scent vaguely reminiscent of lemons, strawberries, and rubbing alcohol and she hesitantly took a cursory sip. She backed off with a look of disgust, earning a laugh from the bartender.

“No, haha! Not like that,” he gave his charming smile again. “Stir it a bit more. The top is all vodka. It kinda’ layers itself when you first make them. If it helps, you can dip your straw in and drink from the bottom, but really, just stir it and drink like that.”

“Oh, um, okay!” Ruby blushed in embarrassment, taking his advice. She carefully stirred it, spilling a little at first, but then got the hang of it. Finally, she took a sip and it was surprisingly good. I was kind of like strawberry lemonade, actually.

“A Strawberry Berryoska, just in case you want another,” he winked. “And I’ll keep it light for ya’!” Wow, either he liked her or he was really trying to work for tips. Either way, he was super helpful and really friendly. “You’re friends are amusing he motioned to the group of four girls that were now on the dance floor.”

“Yeah, they’re a handful,” Ruby smiled. “But they’re always there for me when I need them.”

“Yeah, you guys are pretty young too,” he said distantly. “Normally, the drinking age is higher, but I guess that means you’re from Signal. I like seeing Hunters getting along with the patrons here. In other places, you’d think it would be impossible. Being in service makes you an exception, but I’m just glad that you girls are being so respectful, unlike this one girl that comes here…” Ruby froze… One... girl… Oh no…

“Long blonde hair? Lilac eyes? Hasn’t been in in a few days?”

“How did you know?!” He eyed her with suspicion and Ruby sighed.

“That’s my sister, Yang,” Ruby sighed. “I love her, but she needs to calm down.”

“I…” He carefully thought over his words before finally selecting a few. “I’m so sorry you have to deal with that at home.”

“She’ll be gone for a bit,” Ruby shrugged and swirled her drink around, finishing the last of it. It really was good. “She’s in rotation for Senior Missions, right now. She’ll be back eventually, but I’ll be fine.” Something dark came up beside her, and from the bartender’s reaction, it was another customer, so Ruby paid no mind to them.

“Another one, miss?” The bartender acknowledged the new customer and Ruby assumed the woman nodded. “Right away!”

“Do you drink often?” A mysterious voice sang through Ruby’s ears and she turned to look at the newcomer. Hoooooly crapbaskets. It was the girl from earlier.

“N-no,” Ruby stammered and waved her hands animatedly. “Th-this is my first time.”

“Aw,” the girl smiled at her and Ruby found herself lost in those crystal blues. “Pretty girls shouldn’t drink alone.” Wait, _pretty girls_?

“A-are you flirting with me?” Ruby could feel her face flush red and her brain virtually fried.

“Oh, _Scheiße_! _War das zu stark???_ ” Ruby tilted her head curiously as the words came from her mouth. Was she a foreigner? “ _Ich habe es wieder getan!_ ” The girl covered mouth when she realized what she had said. “Sorry, my family speaks German at home!” Ah, she spoke the Atlesian Empire’s language. “I slip sometimes. I came off kind of strong there, didn’t I?”

“I just, uh, thought that you’d like some company,” she motioned towards Ruby’s friends. “Since you seem to have opted out of the floorgy over there.” Ruby looked to where she had pointed and laughed when she spotted all of her friends grinding shamelessly against each other.

“That’s so embarrassing,” Ruby whined in embarrassment.

“I concur. _Danke!_ ” The friendly girl thanked the bartender as he passed them their drinks. “You wouldn’t mind two waters, as well, _mein Freund_?”

“ _Sichere Sache_ , Snowflake!”

“Ah,” she smiled happily. “You’re learning! It’s almost enough for me to forgive the nickname!”

“Hahaha,” the bartender laughed as they teased back and forth. “Might as well, if Junior says you’re gonna’ be around more often!” He turned away to get the water and _Snowflake_ returned to their current subject of discussion.

“You wouldn’t catch me dead out there.”

“ _Two_ waters?” Ruby wondered out loud.

“ _Mal langsam, Liebe!_ Take it slow – pace yourself!” She smiled in response. “You’re not very experienced with alcohol and it’s late. You know, the whole _Drink Responsibly_ thing. Wouldn’t want you to get snatched up on your way home, right?”

Wow, this foreigner was really looking out for her. She spent a while talking to her, sharing ideas and laughing at the stories they shared about people they knew. Sometimes, she would slip into full sentences that Ruby couldn’t even begin to try to understand. Eventually, she would realize it and correct herself. It was just a really refreshing change from what she was used to and Ruby loved every bit of it.

Currently, she was telling a story about a blue-haired boy and a monkey Faunus that sounded like they got into a lot of mischief. The guy with blue hair kind of reminded her of Yang’s old partner, though he was one of the unfortunate trainees that passed away a while ago. Still, he did some ridiculous things and she missed him. Time really flew by as they talked and Ruby found herself hoping to see her outside of this… She really seemed to hang onto Ruby’s every word, but most importantly...

Ruby really loved her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope that I’ve providing enough clues that you guys are aware of who Snow is. She just looks… different… for a good reason. Anyway, I added a couple quirks to her in the way that she speaks. This is a semi-modern AU, though the world has evolved a bit differently than the real world, especially in terms of how countries have developed. Anyway, Germany is now Atlas and most placed have developed differently to suit Lightforge’s needs. I suppose the story pretty much takes place in the EU, though the world is fairly Americanized, so I’m not really dedicated to remaining authentic to the real world. That being said, I have translations for what Snow say below. If I have something wrong or it could be phrased better, definitely let me know!
> 
> German (Atlesian) to English:
> 
> “Oh, Scheiße! War das zu stark???” = Oh, shit! Was that too strong?  
> “Ich habe es wieder getan!” = I did it again!  
> “Danke!” = Thank you!  
> “mein Freund?” = My friend?  
> “Sichere Sache” = Sure thing  
> “Mal langsam, Liebe!” = Pace yourself, love


	5. The Atlesian

Another upbeat song came to an end, the bass beating for the final time as the song faded. The group of four laughed at their silly antics and stumbled off the stage in a semi-sober pile of limbs. As Coco joked about some of the awkward looks they’d gotten, Nora’s eyes ventured in Ruby’s direction and she began to excitedly slap at the fashion-driven girl.

“It’s happening!” Nora hooked her into a headlock and forced her to look at Ruby. That was the largest smile she’d seen in a long time and the cause of it was a gorgeous dark-haired girl about their age, who was resting her back against the bar. The girl rested her elbows on the bar as she motioned with her hands and Ruby laughed, earning a grin from the girl. “Better get that $10 ready!”

“Oh ho! Not yet,” Coco fell limp, slipping out of Nora’s hold and heading toward the bar. “Time to rain on this parade!”

“Only if it’s in dollar bills!” Nora chimed and followed behind her. Velvet and Penny flashed concerned looks at each other and shook their heads. They were really gonna’ have their hands full tonight.

As they neared the bar, Ruby’s new friend looked their way and lifted her glass. She motioned toward them before taking a sip of her drink and Ruby looked their way. Her eyes flashed with happiness and she waved at them ecstatically. Nora waved back and the girl turned around to speak with the bartender – an action which made Coco stop dead in her tracks and Nora ran into her.

“What gives, Co?” The red-head rubbed her nose. “I hope that didn’t smudge anythi- Coco?” If anything, Coco had sobered up from her light-hearted mood and she shifted herself in an unsettled manner.

“That girl knows exactly who Ruby is,” Coco said, a queasy feeling in her stomach. “I’ve only seen something like this a few times, but you guys know who the Elites are, right?”

“Uh, you mean those psychopaths that are literally just Hunters so that they can legally kill?” Nora mumbled with distaste. So much for the awesome night they were having. “They might as well be Puritans, if they allowed Lightbearers in...”

“But weren’t Ruby’s parents Elites?” Penny asked and Coco shook her head in response.

“No, they were on the same level, but they opted for a different path,” Coco explained. “Elites studied their methods and they were given the same respect after they proved themselves, but no. Team STRQ didn’t kill for glory. They killed only when necessary. Summer tried to get as little blood on their hands as possible. Ruby’s uncle said it made the team seem less inhuman in the eyes of civilians.”

“But that girl is _really_ young,” Velvet shifted uneasily, pulling at one of her ears. “What makes you so sure that she’s one of them? Don’t you normally have to be older and more experienced?”

“The back of her jacket,” Coco motioned toward her. “Before you’re promoted to an Elite, you’re given the option to be a free-unit like STRQ or to become a full-fledged Elite. They’re given the freedom to design their own uniform, but unlike the teams, Elites operate completely by themselves. Teams need to fit in with their surroundings, but Elites are required to have an identifying marker. Whatever they wear, the Schnee Emblem must be present and identifiable at all times… just like her jacket. It’s the more humane version of what they do to Weres, since only humans can become Elites.”

“So, what you’re saying,” the color drained from Nora’s face. “Is that we’re letting a murderer get super cozy with our little Ruby… who seems to be a magnet… for trouble…” Coco nodded. “I… see… then… Do we should just act normal or…?”

“For now,” Coco resumed their approach, donning a new, albeit fake, smile. “Let’s just try not to piss her off. They’re not supposed to be in Freak-friendly bars unless they’re investigating something due to harassment complaints, but Ruby’s presence may have drawn her attention.”

“Oh, I gotcha,” Nora gave her a silly look as they closed in and jumped on Coco. “Called it!” Nora returned to her usual upbeat disposition and grinned at Ruby once they arrived and then eyed the supposed-Elite up and down. “She’s deeeefinitely a cutie, Rubes!”

“You didn’t call anything, Nora!” Ruby whined at her friend, who rubbed it in with an obnoxious laugh. “Can’t I just meet someone in a bar and be, you know, _friends_ with them?”

“Ah,” Ruby’s new friend chuckled to herself. “Your friends are trying to pressure you into dating?”

“No,” Ruby’s face fell. “They’re trying to convince me that I’m gay and I’m not!”

“Aw,” the raven-haired girl pouted and muttered to herself. “ _Es is nicht so schlecht_.”

“What does that mean?” Ruby asked with an innocent smile. She was really enjoying learning about her language.

“Uh,” she blushed and took a sip from her drink. “You don’t really need to worry about that!”

“She said she’s gay.” Two glasses clinked loudly as the bartender passed them to two customers further down the bar.

“ _Sie wissen, dass ich das nicht gesagt habe_!!!” The girl flushed completely red with embarrassment and dropped her relatively cool exterior. “ _Was fehlt dir_?!”

“Hahaha,” he passed another drink toward the flustered girl. “Calm down! This one’s on me! Hahaha!

“It’s still not what I said!” She reiterated to the bartender before she gave Ruby a worried look. “Honestly, that isn’t what I said at all!”

“Then what did you say that you had to say that it in a different language?” Nora grinned suggestively.

“Guys,” Ruby cut in. “She’s Atlesian. It’s what she speaks at home. It’s cool. It’s not like she’s hiding anything.”

“I just said that it’s not… that… bad,” the foreign girl pressed her hand against her forehead and silently prayed this would be over soon.

“Which is exactly what I said,” the bartender chimed in once more. “You’re gay!”

“ _Verpiss dich_!!!”

“Isn’t _that_ why you were talking to her?” He asked with a mischievous glint in his eye that evolved into an impish grin. “You’re pick up lines are awful, by the way.”

“If I were to use pickup lines,” she stared holes through him with an impassive smile. “I would most certainly have used literally anything else. The last thing on my mind is _that_!” She pressed both her hands together against the bridge of her nose. “ _Oh, mein Gott_ , I’m going to crawl into a hole and die.”

“Haha, sorry White,” the bartender grinned and winked at her. “You and I both know it’s gonna’ take a lot more than that to kill you and your sexy self!”

“Hahaha, _Sie and ich wissen beide, dass es nicht passieren wiiiiird_!” White sang out the last word melodically and he fake pouted.

“I’d never dream of soliciting you!” He teased back. “Your sponsor would string me up so fast that Junior wouldn’t even be aware I clocked in tonight!”

“They won’t get the chance!” She grinned mischievously. “Of that, I am certain!”

“So, ya’ gonna’ buy her a drink, Snowflake?” He urged with a sly smile and winked at Ruby, who blushed.

“ _Wasser_.”

“Cheap skate,” he stuck his tongue out at her. “Aren’t you the Good Samaratin! Counting her drinks for her!”

“Are you not?” White raised her eye brow. “Even if you’re diluting it for her, she’s on what – seven? And they’re the kinds that creep up on you later. _Ich bin auf dich, mein Freund_!”

“What’s wah-sur?” Ruby pronounced each of the syllables hesitantly and hoped she’d heard right over the crowd in the bar.

“ _Wasser_ ,” White brushed her hair back and flashed her a cool smile. “Is water!”

“Aw, booooo!”

“You’re starting to get up there in drinks,” White explained. “Make sure you drink that before anything else.”

“Yes, _Mom_ ,” Ruby sighed and rolled her eyes as Nora gawked at them, looking back and forth between them. “Please ignore her, specifically.”

“But she looks like she might be just as fun as you,” White teased at them. “Or am I assuming wrong?”

“Who? Me?” Nora motioned at herself animatedly. “Psssssh! I’m super boring! My precious Rubykins is where _all_ the excitement’s at!” The red head smashed her face against Ruby’s, almost melding them together and splashing the water against Ruby’s nose. Ruby’s teeth clinked loudly against the glass and she pulled it away from her face holding her mouth in pain.

“Ruby, are you alright?!” The Atlesian tilted her face toward her and she examined Ruby carefully. “Oh good! _Du bis inordnung…”_ A look of fear took hold in Ruby’s eyes and White gave her a confused look. “Did I do something wrong?”

“I,” Ruby backed away in concern and straightened her posture. “Never gave you my name. We never exchanged names.”

“Oh, uh,” caught in her lie, White looked around as she tried to come up with an excuse. “ _Verdammt_ … I never even thought it would go this far.”

“You can drop the fake friendly Atlesian bullshit now! I was wondering what an Elite was doing in a Freak-friendly bar,” Coco interrupted them. “I thought maybe you were gathering information, but I guess you’re here for Ruby.”

“I _am_ Atlesian,” the girl sighed and laughed to herself. “But I think you’re mistaken.”

“No,” Coco insisted. “I know an Elite when I see one and you virtually jumped on Ruby the second Nora left her side. Or am I wrong, Ruby?”

“Well,” Ruby fidgeted nervously. She really had thought that she finally met someone who had nothing to do with the world of the Schnee Guard. “I mean, she did, but she’s been really nice.”

“It isn’t like that!” Blue eyes concentrated on Ruby’s silver-hued orbs, hoping that she would understand. “Junior’s is Freak-friendly – _no_ limitations – meaning that vampires are in here and you left her by herself!” In a panic, the girls began to look around, spotting red eyes and fangs everywhere. “ _Beruhige dich bitte_! Er, calm down!” She corrected herself again. “You don’t want them to pick up the scent of fear. It’s not just Ruby I’ve been watching. I’ve been watching all of you. I’m sure she’d prefer not to lose any friends tonight.”

“You’re not killing them?” Ruby started to shake. “I-isn’t that what Hunters do? Especially Elites… you guys are supposed to kill them,” Ruby growled in her seat. “Before they murder us.”

“Not everything is so black-and-white, Ruby,” White tried to explain. “The ones that come here are fairly innocent. They haven’t outted themselves and aren’t causing any problems. If anything, I use them as sources of information.” Frowning at her drink, she swished it around to mix the melting ice into the liquor. It was watered down, but at least it would be better than if it stayed separate. “They want so badly to return to their human lives and come here just to get a little taste of what that was like. They’d out their Sires in a heartbeat, if it meant they could go back.”

Ruby focused on the skirt of her dress, tracing one of the many squares in the pattern. _The only good vampire is a dead vampire!_ Yang’s hatred for vampires had only grown over the years. Since their parents’ deaths, that hatred had become somewhat of an obsession and she eagerly signed up for any raid that had the possibility of dealing a devastating blow to The Council. Even so, Uncle Qrow had maintained that vampires were not so black-and-white. There were those who hated what they were, but they just hadn’t met them.

“You sound like my Uncle. I guess Elites really do have a different way of viewing things. I heard you guys thought about things differently from regular Hunters. You’re like, the espionage division of Hunters or something, right?” Ruby’s voice grew smaller as she continued to trace the patterns. “I wonder if that’s why Yang can’t rank high enough…. but you’re already there. You all see me and Yang and instantly know who we are, but we don’t even know your names or even the slightest bit about you…”

“Ruby, if you’d just let me tell you who I am, you’d remember!” The girl tried to interrupt her, but Ruby flinched at the sound of her name and her head felt like it was starting to warp. “I’m W-“

“Is that why you’re talking to me?!” Darkness welled up inside of Ruby and spilled out of her eyes in the form of an intimidating glare. “Because of who I am?” Anything that the Elite had said was lost in whatever music was playing in the background. Ruby’s mind went hazy and the excuses didn’t matter. She was tired. All that mattered was that she was the daughter of Vale’s Heroes –Vale’s Burning Priest and White Rose, Tai Xiao Long and Summer Rose.

Ignoring the voices of her friends and the Elite, Ruby was done. She stood up and hurried her way out, squeezing through the crowd of humans and Freaks. Who cared if any of them were vampires? Maybe if she were lucky, one would get hungry and end all of this for her. She’d never have to deal with it again.

“Ruby!” Penny called from within the sea of people. “Wait!” Penny looked back at the others and called back. “I’m going to follow her!”

“Right!” Nora gave her a thumb up and turned back to the stare down between the two most dominant personalities in the room. Getting fed up, the Elite stood up in agitation and tried to go after them, but Coco stood in her way.

“Move…”

“You’re not going anywhere near her,” Coco maintained her position, meeting the Elite’s glare. “Elite or not, I’m not letting someone like you stick around her. Her life is already hectic enough!”

“That’s the one thing I certainly cannot do,” the Elite growled darkly. “I’ve waited long enough…”

“You what?” Coco’s eyes went wide and she backed up.

“Hey, girls!” The bartender snapped his fingers. “I get that you’re doing your whole best friend vs. potential suitor thing, but 1. Your friend’s tab isn’t gonna’ pay itself and she left her card. And 2. Junior asked me to pass this along to you, Miss Tall Dark and Angry,” he motioned to White. “Said he owed you some information or something, but you haven’t been in town in a while. A new Piress that calls herself the Ice Queen has shown, but… you’re not gonna’ like the name she’s going by.” He held out a small piece of paper and she snatched it from his hand. “Rude…”

“What?” She glared at him. This had better be a damn good reason to interrupt her stalemate. She opened the slip of paper and her eyes widened as she read the name to herself. A silent rage radiated from her and the paper crinkled beneath hand as she trembled in anger. A symbol sizzled to life on the back of the black gloves that covered her hands and he shrank back. “This is most certainly… unexpected…” She laughed darkly at the paper. “Things have really gone to Hell since I’ve been gone…”

**ooOOoo**

Everything was a blur. Shapes meshed together, her vision was doubling, she was swaying back and forth, and her eyes couldn’t focus. Leaves scraped across the ground, hardened by the blast of autumnal winds they’d recently been getting and made more obvious by the city’s eerie silence. Summer was almost at its end and along with that came the memories of the girl in white who had long since left her side.

Ruby wrapped her arms around herself, shivering as a chill crept up her spine. It always seemed like chilly weather reminded her of Weiss, but it was how Weiss had left her that left the deepest impression. They’d never even had a chance to patch things up and Ruby spent much of her time trying to fill the void the loss of her friendship created. In short, even when she was surrounded, Ruby felt empty – truly empty.

Weiss was a chilly girl, but she had always shown a warm side to Ruby when they were children. Ruby’s mother had absolutely adored her playmate and encouraged them to spend ungodly amounts of time together. She’d often joke that it was like they were joined at birth… but that all came to an abrupt end one day.

For some reason or another, Ruby was always in and out of the Schnee Guard’s labs and she’d met Weiss during one of those visits. It almost seemed like she wanted nothing to do with her at first, but the pale girl suddenly came to life the moment she saw Ruby’s mother. Summer had introduced them to each other and they were both hesitant at first, but it eventually worked itself out.

Ruby was playing with something and tried to show it to Weiss, but she tripped in the process. She’d expected her mom to be the one that helped her, but it was Weiss that got to her first. Being the open person that she was, Ruby hugged Weiss when she helped her up. From that moment on, Weiss always seemed to want to be around her and they were virtually attached to each other.

It was such a silly thing and Ruby often wondered what it was about that incident that made Weiss gravitate to her… And that was a secret that Weiss took to the grave with her. She’d only asked Weiss about it once, not long after she’d returned home, but Weiss no longer seemed to remember it. Maybe Ruby was the weird one for letting it stick out so much to her.

Still, there was a reason that days like today made her think so much about Weiss. Lab visits always reminded her of her former best friend and the not-so-fond memory of how she came to be injured so badly. It had been another of those days where they both had appointments and then Weiss was supposed to go home with her, like they always did, but that day wasn’t like the others.

Ruby vaguely recalled a woman dressed from head to toe in white and the darkest eyes she had ever seen. Not much was clear, but she remembered that Weiss’s eye had been horribly hurt before Ruby’s parents showed up. The rest was a blur, but she knew that Weiss was injured and had saved her. The pale girl was happy to see that Ruby was alive and was taken away for weeks, but she promised to come back to her… It was just that the Weiss that came back wasn’t Ruby’s Weiss. This Weiss was broken.

From that day forward, Weiss was incredibly cold and pushed Ruby away. She was cruel to her and really showed the side of her that was a Schnee. Weiss was always so angry – so violent, but she wouldn’t tell Ruby anything. Ruby blamed herself and cried for an endless amount of days. The only friend she’d ever had rejected her with such a force that she felt completely shattered and this caused several brawls between Weiss and Yang. To this day, Ruby had never been able to apologize… and she never would.

…Weiss died two years ago… and it had been a horrific sight. It had actually been just after the first snowfall of Winter, when the snow was still pure and untainted by footsteps, but the same could not be said about the Schnee grounds that day. The Schnee matriarch had always been one to appreciate snow, and that same love of Winter’s seasonal power was what led her to find her daughter and driven the woman insane with grief.

Ruby sniffled to herself and rubbed her arms in an effort to warm herself up. Whose idea was it to wear these stupid clothes?! Oh yeah… Coco.

_But you’re the idiot that let her pick them._

Yeah, no one’s asking you!

Her mind was such a stupid thing to be left alone with. Maybe she should have taken the headmaster up on his offer, or actually even talked to Penny for that matter. She swayed a little bit more and looked over the buildings. Maybe she could find a hotel… but she’d left her card at the bar with her tab.

Dammit! She was already halfway home and the thought of going back didn’t sit well with her. At least, she still had her keys. She’d call and come back tomorrow. For now, things would be fine. They knew who she was, and for the first time, she was glad.

A wooshing sound swept past her ears and she shuddered in response. It really was kind of scary out and she didn’t want to stick around alone. Even under the purple haze of lights, she didn’t exactly feel 100% safe. Vampires weren’t the only thing that could come out. She started to continue on her path home, but something told her that eyes were on her. Maybe it was that wolf again? She rolled her shoulders nervously as she thought about what it could have actually been and she scanned the rooftops and alleyways. As she did, she happened to peek behind herself and saw a lone figure, walking at a fast pace with his hands in his pockets. Something about him didn’t sit right.

The man drew closer and closer and as she picked up her own speed, so too did he. He must have noticed that she’d figured him out and he was about to try something. She silently cursed herself for going out drinking and leaving on her own. No matter how angry she had been, this had been a stupid decision on her part and she was about to pay for it. She picked up the pace and ran, but suddenly the street light in front of her went out, causing her to come to a dead stop. He was taking the lights out.

She cast another glance back and saw that he had come much closer, standing and simply watching her. Standing about two streetlights away, he was thin and wore baggy clothes that prevented her from seeing any defining features. Over his face, he had a neck warmer that brandished the bottom jaw of a skull and wore a beanie. In his hand, he held a gun, but the alarming part wasn’t necessarily the gun. It was an accessory on the weapon.

To prevent Hunter class weapons from being used by their enemies, Hunters were given gloves that allowed them access to their weapons. The weapons were outfitted with a system that registered users in the weapons history, but also only activated and unlocked the safety when the system registered the chips in their gloves. In other words, he was one of them.

He lifted his arm and shot out the light directly in front of her and she flinched. He stepped forward once more and she took a step back as he trained his gaze on her. Another shot fired and the light above him went out. It was now just her, the light that protected her, and the dark silhouette in front of her that was barely illuminated by the lights behind him.

“A mutual friend of ours would like to have a word with you…” The voice was muffled but sounded vaguely familiar. She just couldn’t place it right now.

PAH! The light above Ruby suddenly went out and she could hear scampering all around her. Had he been clearing the way for others? Wasn’t he just going to take her to this person?... But why go through all the effort of eliminating the lights?… unless he was White Fang… and that _friend_ was a vampire… She’d almost forgotten that the Fang had recently begun to aid vampires in their hunts.

“It’s been a while.” Icy fingers latched onto her arms and she was shoved against a wall and lifted above her attacker. She looked around in a panic, trying to focus on where she was. “How stupid can you be? I’m down here.” Ruby’s eyes fell and locked onto the crimson orbs that glowed through the shadows.

Though it was dark, she squinted her eyes and tried to make out the details from the light the moon provided. Her sight wasn’t perfect at night, but the woman below her was definitely around her age and had long white hair… White hair?!

“W-Weiss?” Ruby stuttered in surprised and the vampire’s eyes twitched at the sound of her name. She had to be imagining things. Weiss was dead. “How is this possible? Y-you were cr-cremated.”

“Yeeeeah,” Weiss’ eyes narrowed at her as they burned more brightly. “Funny thing about cremation and vampires, we can still regenerate as long as our core isn’t destroyed. Turns out they weren’t thorough enough and someone was looking out for me.” The vampire slid an arm up Ruby’s arm and placed it around her neck, proceeding to hold her in place with one arm. “But enough about me, let’s talk about you. Why so scared? After all this time, we’ve finally been reunited! This is a happy occasion!”

“Rrrrgh, because,” Ruby hissed as Weiss’ grip tightened and the vampire grinned maniacally at her. “You’re going to eat me!”

“Oh, we’ll get to that soon enough!” Weiss exclaimed. “But first! I want to know… _why_?”

“ _Why_ , what?!” Ruby screamed and tried to kick her legs, but the weight on the boots Coco had given her weighed her down and clunked against the bricks she was pressed against.

“Settle down!” With a jerking motion, Weiss slammed her into the building hard enough to shock her straight and Ruby burst into tears. She wasn’t ready to die. “No, you don’t get that right! Not when she gave you everything, not when she chose you, and _especially_ not when you can’t even tell the god damned difference!”

“Who are you _talking_ about?” Ruby’s eyes went wide as she tried to comprehend what was going on. Did fully-turned vampires still have lapses in sanity? Vampires generally reanimated or turned within the first two weeks of being bitten. If what she had said was true, then she had been a vampire for almost two years. Frenzying periods only lasted for a couple of months at most, unless new sirelings managed to feed enough in a shorter time period. “What can’t I tell the difference?”

“Weiss!” Weiss barked and increased the pressure, all but burying the Rose girl into the wall. “I lost her because of you!”

“What are you talking about?!” Ruby struggled, clawing at her arm. Did she mean that she lost herself? What did Ruby have to do with that?! Weiss stopped being friends her _long_ before she ever died. None of this was her fault! “You _are_ Weiss! What’s wrong with you?!” Did vampirism really drive them so insane they didn’t know who they were?

The vampire’s eyes widened, jittering as the words sank into her head. Her grip loosened and she dropped Ruby to the ground, with a loud thud. The thick soles of her boots scraped against the bricks and she landed hard on her knees. Weiss’ arms dropped to her sides and the vampire looked up at the sky with a broken smile and dead eyes.

“That’s right,” Weiss laughed emotionlessly. It was so obvious. Hadn’t she already come to terms with this? Outside of the family and the remaining members of the STRQ operation, no one knew. Even the vampires recognized her this way. They had blended in so seamlessly that it didn’t even matter… but this girl… She _should_ have been able to. “ _I’m_ Weiss.”

“How could they forget me so easily? None of them ever even… but I was so sure that out of everyone _you_ would see through…” Weiss looked at Ruby and spoke as if a realization had suddenly dawned on her. On the verge of a mental collapse, the ivory haired girl brought her hands to the side of her head as she spoke to herself. “No, it’s you too. You’re the same. You’re _all_ the same. Every last one of you are so blind. It was only ever _us_ … but now it’s only _me_.”

As the former heiress to the Schnee Guard broke down, Ruby tried to use the opportunity to escape. She pressed a knee into the gravel beneath her and mentally cursed at the radiating pain of the bruise that was surely swallowing her knee. If she survived, how was she going to explain this? It was probably going to hurt even more. She kicked forward and started to dash away, but suddenly she tripped and her foot refused to move forward. Taking a look back, her foot had been frozen in a solid brick of ice.

“Tsk tsk, I only looked away for a few seconds, Ruby,” Weiss tutted at her. “When did you get to be such a naughty girl? Did you think I would forget about _you_?”

The once-proud Schnee walked toward her at an agonizingly slow pace and Ruby tried to struggle against her frozen trap. Sure, there was an incredibly simple solution to this, but Coco’s fashion sense made that kind of difficult. How the hell was she supposed to get these damn boots off in a hurry! They were laced knee highs!

“You don’t remember,” Weiss stopped in front of her and her eyes seared into Ruby with a look that spoke of years of pent up frustration. “But I need your blood,” Weiss pulled her up to meet face-to-face with force that shattered the ice that had held her foot in place. “So I’ll make you into a Grimm! Then you’ll have no choice but to remember! We can share both of our memories!” Weiss’ teeth gleamed in the moonlight as she raced toward Ruby’s neck and Ruby shut her eyes, bracing herself for the oncoming pain… but it never came.

Instead, a powerful gust of air blew through Ruby and suddenly she was being cradled by something soft that smelled heavily of coffee, cedar wood, and citrus with a hint of alcohol. Ruby peeked open a single eye and was met with the sight of dark leather. She brought her hand up and touched the material until her fingers ghosted over the teeth of a zipper, chilled by the night air. It was a jacket that was worn in an open fashion and Ruby could feel the cloth of the shirt beneath it. Her fingers trailed up to the new person’s chest, sitting in place so she could feel the heart beating beneath it. Relaxing, she opened her second eye and looked up, meeting a pair of concerned eyes… It was her - the Atlesian from the bar.

“Fuck!” She heard Weiss’ voice from below them and looked down. When had the Elite brought her to the roof of the building? Below them, the vampire held her arm as blood splashed to ground in a shimmering puddle beneath her. “Do you know how much energy it takes to regenerate?” A dark mass began to form, rebuilding her missing limb. “Too damn much!”

“Are you alright, Ruby?” The Elite asked, ignoring the raging vampire. She watched Ruby patiently and waited for her to nod. The dark-haired girl screened over her, stopping at the torn stocking that barely covered her bruised knees. “ _Liebes_ , do you think you can stand?” Again, Ruby nodded and the Elite gently placed her down.

A feeling of weakness suddenly rushed over her and White knelt down, guiding Ruby as she slowly collapsed in relief. The air was still chilly, but she was surprised when an abrupt warmth enveloped her. When she located the source, she found the Elite’s black jacket draped over her shoulders. A soft glove touched to Ruby’s pale cheek and turned her to face her Atlesian savior and she gave White a grateful look.

“Who the fuck are you?” The enraged vampire shouted from below, discarding her white bolero. “What is your name?” The Elite barely cast a glance at her and inhaled in annoyance.

“I haven’t needed one in a long time,” she muttered. “But some call me Snow White.”

“The Bandersnatch?” Weiss gave a half-hearted laugh. “I’ve heard you’ve been giving The Council a run for their money. Perhaps I should be cautious?”

“Perhaps you should,” Snow gave a small smirk. “I’m not interested in fighting you… but _this_ I can’t allow…” Snow paused for a moment, but added something that Ruby could only make out in broken syllables. “… _Mein_ … _Schw_ … _ter_ …”

“What did you call me?” Weiss hissed in surprise.

“It doesn’t matter,” the dark woman dismissed her and returned her attention to Ruby. Lacing her fingers around a thin, steel chain that fit loosely around her neck, Snow withdrew a necklace hidden within her shirt. Attached to the chain was a strange purple gemstone that appeared to have some sort of herb encased in it. “Wear this, _mein Liebster_. Keep it safe for me?”

“Huh?” The Atlesian unfastened it and placed it around Ruby’s neck, letting it fall against her blouse. Ruby’s eyes followed the jewel as it wrinkled the fabric it sat on top of. The moonlight reflected from it in a glassy fashion and it gave off an otherworldly presence.

Lifting her eyes from the strange charm, she met Snow’s with an even greater curiosity. Again, she found Snow looking at her warmly but there was something different. Under the moonlight, her eyes glowed with an intensity that rivaled the brightest sapphires and Ruby sat in awe.

“Close your eyes and don’t look, no matter what you hear.” Snow spoke softly and put a hand to her cheek, rubbing with her thumb. “Promise me? I’ll take you home as soon as this is over.” As Snow stood up, Ruby latched onto her hand and her eyes followed her, almost as if she were mesmerized. “I’ll be right back. I promise, _Liebling_.” With that, Snow hopped down and Ruby began to shiver.

For some reason, the night felt that much colder than without Snow beside her, so she wrapped herself up in the jacket. While her fingers were chilled by the outer layer that was absorbing the chill of the night air, she could feel Snow’s warmth radiating from within the silky lining. For a moment, her fear got the better of her but she buried herself further into the jacket to bask in the residual scent of her dark knight... knightess?... Did they have a word for a female knight?

Below her, she heard several grunts, followed by a loud growl and what sounded like the whining of a dog. With each crashing sound, Ruby found herself wanting to look, but she had promised not to watch. Still, curiosity got the best of her.

She inched closer and closer to the ledge to the point she could see the edge of the road across the street. However, as she started to peer over, a wall of ice shot up the side of the building. A series of crystals splintered out as it reached the end of the parapet and Ruby threw herself back, deciding not to tempt her fate again. After a few intense minutes of silence, Snow reappeared looking as untouched as when she had left, albeit her hair was a bit disheveled.

“Did you wait long?” Snow asked with amusement, her eyes still maintaining their mysterious glow. Ruby quickly shook her head, jingling the necklace beneath her. Reminded by the sound, Ruby rushed to remove it, but Snow quickly knelt before her and stopped her hands. “Keep it. It’s safer this way. They can’t find you while you have it.” Snow looked at her knees again and frowned. “Can you walk, _Lieb_?”

“I…” Ruby hesitated as she thought it over. “Think so…”

“ _Nicht gut genug_ ,” Snow scooped her up and cradled her closely. Running toward the edge of the building, she hopped across the roof, doing the same for the rest. Wondering how rare Elites like this were, Ruby blushed and found herself resting against her chest. For the first time in a while, she felt like she had been blessed with good fortune.

“Is this the right way?” The sound of Snow’s feet hitting the cement of industrial rooftops had long disappeared and Ruby looked out to see where they were. Wait… air? They were suspended in the air! Ruby clung to her in surprise and Snow tightened her grip reassuringly. “Are you alright?”

“Uh, y-yeah,” Ruby looked down to see a dark platform beneath Snow’s feet. They were quite far from the ground, but she felt secure either way. “Um, it’s that neighborhood.” Ruby pointed ahead of them and Snow took off again.

Stealing another glance at Snow’s eyes, Ruby felt herself being swallowed by them and instantly wanted to know more about her. Vampires’ eyes glowed too, but they were only ever red. It had also been curious to her that her eyes hadn’t glowed in the bar. In fact, they hadn’t until she removed the necklace. Was this how she was without it? What did the necklace do that was keeping her safe?

“Are you sure you’re alright?” As they jumped through the night air, Snow’s eyes met hers again and Ruby blushed.

“Y-yeah,” Ruby buried her face. “Just… tired…”

“Alright,” Snow nodded and Ruby felt herself beginning to descend. “Where do we go?”

“Oh, um,” Ruby looked down the street and pointed to a home with a high built brick wall. “That one.” Snow smirked and walked toward her fortress of a home. “Well, you certainly have well-built defenses.”

“Y-yeah,” Ruby looked away as Snow placed her down in front of the gate entrance. “Uncle Qrow doesn’t like to take chances.” Bright purple lit up the gated area inside the wall and illuminated the entrance. Ruby placed her hand on a touch pad that scanned her hand. After a moment, the word “APPROVED” appeared over it and a keypad slid open above it. A countdown timer appeared above it and Ruby typed in an 8-digit password. Again, a countdown began and an unlocking sound occurred. Ruby opened the gate and walked in.

“ _Gute Nacht_ , Ruby.” She heard Snow’s voice behind her. “Stay safe.”

“Wait!” Ruby grabbed her hand in a desperate manner. “Don’t leave!” Snow watched her carefully with a curious look. “Come in, please…” For a moment, Snow hesitated but eventually she relented and followed her inside. Behind them, the entrance shut and locked itself down. A paranoid man, Qrow was indeed.

As Ruby unlocked the door to her home, Snow looked around. It was actually quite spacious from the inside. The walls outside just made it look far smaller than it was. There was an attached garage and a shed in the front yard. From the outside, the home itself appeared to be larger than an average single family home and even had a second story. Knowing that this was home to a Hunter family, there was more than likely a basement below, stocked full of weaponry. In the very least, it wouldn’t surprise her. They often had extra rooms to use as their base of operations.

When they entered the home, there was immediately a staircase that led to several rooms. Just further, there was an open doorway that led to what Snow assumed to be the kitchen and at the end of the hallway, the living room. With a flip of a switch, Ruby turned on the hallway light and stumbled down the hallway, leaning against the wall. At the end of the hall, Ruby stood there almost in a trance-like state, which raised concern.

Approaching her slowly, Snow came up behind her and made herself known before acting further. When Ruby seemed to react, she placed her hands on Ruby’s arms and she calmly turned her around to face her. Eyes filled with unshed tears, Ruby looked so fragile that the Atlesian felt her heart break. She pulled the smaller girl in and held her, letting her cry into her chest. Snow rested her head on top of Ruby’s and gently ran her fingers along her back until she eventually calmed down.

“I… didn’t mean it…”

“Hm?” Snow honestly had no idea what she meant.

“What I said earlier…” Ruby sniffed and spoke with a small voice. “I didn’t give you a chance, but just because you’re one of them doesn’t mean you have to be like all of them…”

“Ah, that,” Snow smiled knowingly. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer you clearly before, but I’m not an Elite. This is my first night back home in 11 years.” Ruby gently pushed back enough to look into her eyes, noticing the glow had left them. What did she mean? Everything about her screamed Elite. “I wanted to hear about the state of the city from someone who would be honest and I was genuinely curious about what kind of person Ruby Rose had turned out to be.”

“Y-you’re not an Elite? B-but you took care of everything so fast an-and-“. A finger against her lips put a stop her question.

“ _Mein Liebste_ , I was given a choice between either becoming an Elite or pursuing something that allows me to walk a much more certain path so I chose freedom from the Schnee.” Snow explained, meeting her eyes. She spoke so clearly and honestly that Ruby couldn’t find anything to doubt in her words. “I fight for my own goals – not theirs or anyone else’s. If they happen to match up, then so be it. For now, I’m finally able to return home and I want to clean it up. It is the path that I have chosen. Of this, I am certain.” The Huntress smiled gently at her. “But if it makes you feel any better, my knowledge and performance is ranked as an equivalent to an Elite. The insignia on my jacket is simply to remind myself of where I came from.”

“Oh…” Ruby blushed. “Well, now I feel silly.”

“You should,” the huntress huffed haughtily. “You never drank your water and I told you to pace yourself!”

“Really?!” Ruby whined. “That’s what you’re gonna’ get on me about?”

“That and,” Snow started to fish around in the pockets of the jacket Ruby was wearing. “You forgot this.” Ruby’s eyes went wide and she suddenly felt sillier. Looking away, she shamefully took her bank card bank from Snow. “You’re lucky they trust me!”

“I thought this was your first time back in 11 years.”

“Yes, _mein Liebe,_ but that doesn’t change that Junior knows me,” Snow shrugged with her arms still around her. “Along with most of his staff.” Ruby eyed her suspiciously and rolled her eyes.

“Especially that bartender,” she teased and finally let go, stumbling over to the living room couch. Swallowed up in the couch’s cushions, she patted the seat next to her and Snow smirked, obeying the call of her damsel-no-longer-in-distress. Snow looked over Ruby, who suddenly leaned over onto her and rested her head on her shoulder. “Stay here, please… I don’t want to be alone.”

Snow smiled and looked around the living room, seeing happy pictures everywhere. Some trophies lined the walls, along with other mementos that spoke of happiness. At least, it seemed that Ruby was living a pleasant life.

“I can at least stay until your parents return.” Suddenly, she felt Ruby’s breathing hitch and she almost froze again. The Rose girl sank, burying her face behind Snow’s shoulder and into the couch.

“You’ll be waiting a very long time,” her voice came out muffled. “It’s only me, my Uncle, and my sister and I don’t know when they’ll be back.”

“Uh,” Snow tried to search for what to say. “Your parents are maybe stuck on a mission somewhere and no one’s heard from them?” Ruby shook her head.

“8 years ago,” Ruby stopped herself and took a deep breath. “The Originator killed them.”

“….oh….” For several minutes, the room was silent save for the sound of Ruby’s sobs. Snow pulled her in closer and tried to comfort her, gently rubbing her thumb against Ruby’s scalp. The action itself began to soothe her and she thought that it felt pleasant in a very familiar way.

PLIP PLIP

Ruby wiped at her cheek, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together. Water? She looked up and noticed a few tears sliding down Snow’s own cheek. Was she… crying?

“Snow?”

“Hm?” Snow suddenly wiped the tears away, soaking them into her gloves. “Oh, don’t worry about me.”

“But why are you crying?”

“… It breaks my heart when cute girls cry!” Ruby gave her a blank stare and mentally scolded herself for thinking that she could have possibly been cool.

“You’re cheesy,” Ruby stated flatly. “Are you always this bad at flirting?”

“ _Verdammte_ ,” Snow grinned with a shrug. “You saw through my plan.” The two laughed, glad to be freed from the sore subject that had been brought up. It had really been needed. A thought crossed Snow’s mind and she realized that Ruby really needed to get rest. “I should get you in bed.”

“Wow, you move fast!” Ruby teased with a grin. “Not helping your case any.”

“[Klugscheißer](https://context.reverso.net/translation/german-english/Klugschei%C3%9Fer),” Snow poked at her forehead and Ruby whined in response, still remaining close to her. “Alright, I’ll stay tonight.” She obsidian haired girl stood up, scooping Ruby up in the process.

“Ah!”

“Oh, _stille_ ,” Snow rolled her eyes as she carried her toward the stops. “I’m taking you to your room.”

“Oh,” Ruby giggled. “My valiant knight!” Ruby laughed the entire way up the stairs and pointed to which room was hers. Once inside, Snow placed her on the bed and began the painstaking process of removing the boots from Ruby’s feet, earning another laugh. Seeing the bruises on Ruby’s knees, she then removed the stockings and went to leave the room.

“Don’t go,” Ruby latched onto her hand and Snow responded with a concerned look.

“I won’t,” she rubbed the back of her hand affectionately. “But the swelling needs to go down. I’m going to put your boots away and get some ice for you.”

“O-oh…” Ruby blushed, feeling silly at her sudden outburst. A few minutes later, Snow returned with a small bag filled with ice.

“Sorry that took so long,” Snow rubbed the back of her neck. “I wasn’t sure where the bags were and I had to find them.” She sat down beside Ruby, placing the bag on the one that looked the worst and Ruby wrapped herself around Snow’s waist. Almost as if it were second nature to her, she buried her face into her thigh. Snow smiled and went to touch Ruby, but stopped, staring at her glove.

A few rogue beads of water from the ice bag sat atop her glove, slowly absorbing into the fabric and she sighed. With a gentle tug, she removed them from her hands and sat them on the nightstand beside Ruby’s bed. Nails first, she started at the base of Ruby’s neck and ran her fingers through her hair again, but Ruby felt something different this time.

The hairs stood on the back of her neck and she shuddered in response, relaxing into the touch. Somehow, she felt incredibly safe and secure and this was a good feeling, as opposed to every other time her she could feel her hair come to life. It felt like something she never wanted to end and felt herself lulling away under the careful ministrations to her hair as each strand bristled to life.

“If you’re cold, you should get under the blankets, _Liebe_.” Snow’s voice interrupted her trance as she removed the ice. Groggily, Ruby nodded and lifted herself to get under the blanket. In the process, she draped the blanket partially across Snow and returned to when she was. Snow gave a small laugh and shut the light off. When she looked back at Ruby, the timid girl noticed that her eyes were glowing under the moonlight that shined through her window… So that was what caused it.

“Um,” Ruby started to speak shyly. “You can lie down too, if you want.”

For a moment, Snow thought it over and eventually separated herself from Ruby to lie down and close her eyes. Ruby sat up, watching her and debated on what to do. She really liked being close to her, but she was wondering if it was getting to be too much. She was already wearing her jacket and being super clingy. Plus, they barely knew each other.

A blue glow came from one of Snow’s eyes, telling Ruby that she was looking at her. With a smirk, Snow lifted her arm and gently pulled Ruby down, leaving her arm around her. The tension that Ruby was feeling vanished as she found herself immersed in the deep rich coffee scent she gave off. Again, she felt the huntress’ fingers slip through her hair and relaxed. It really felt nice lying next to someone and she wanted to savor it, but there was also something scratching at her curiosity – something Snow had been saying all night.

“Hey, Snow?” She stayed silent until the older girl acknowledged her with a hum. “What does _Liebe_ mean? You’ve been saying it since you found me.” There was a long silence and Ruby lifted herself to get a clear look at her. Though the only light in the room came from the moon, there was enough light cascading across her features to give away that she was flush red.

“I-it’s nothing important.”

“Are you sure?” Still tipsy, she found herself feeling braver than normal and tangled one of her legs with Snow’s, resting her right arm across Snow’s opposite shoulder. Positioning herself over Snow, her savior’s hands came up to rest on her waist, keeping her stable. Ruby’s hair fell over Snow, tickling against her face. They locked eyes and cast tender looks at one another. She really did feel drawn into Snow’s eyes and found herself coming closer.

“You said you’re not gay.”

“I also never said I was straight,” Ruby replied almost instantly with a husky tone to her voice. Snow had seemed into this a second ago.

“Um, look,” Snow turned her cheek and looked away nervously. “You’re definitely my type and I really don’t _want_ to stop you.”

“Then don’t.”

“But you’re also drunk and I’d prefer you were sober enough to remember me in the morning.” Ruby’s face fell and she collapsed into a fit of giggles.

“My knight is chivalrous too!” As Ruby teased her, Snow sighed. She really was turning into a handful.

Still, she wasn’t lying. Ruby really was her type and she probably wouldn’t have said no… if this were the Ruby from the beginning of the night – not the one that the alcohol was finally catching up to. In the very least, she wouldn’t let Ruby go empty-handed.

“Settle for this then?” Snow tilted Ruby’s head and kissed her forehead, turning the younger girl into a blushing mess. Eventually, her brain began to process in real time and she lay back down, resting against her chest. The soft beating beneath Snow’s chest drummed rhythmically, lulling her to sleep. “ _Gute Nacht_ … _mein Liebling_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, drunk girls. Isn’t Snow so sweet? *eyeroll* So Forgebearers/Hunters are pretty much viewed as military soldiers and mercenaries. As such, I adjusted drinking ages strictly for those in service. If you’re underage, don’t drink. If you do, be safe, be with friends, and don’t get caught. (It sucks.) Also, water is a god send. Did you know that if you get drunk and Google “Why do I pee so much when I drink?” it gives you this whole thing about how you’re dehydrated and your body just sends liquid through your body? I apparently educate myself when I’m drunk. Small world… Drunk Me is over here asking the real questions!!! -_- (incredibly unamused by Drunk Me’s browser history… Like seriously, I couldn’t just look up porn or something else that raises questions?)
> 
> German (Atlesian) to English:
> 
> “Es is nicht so schlecht.” = It’s not so bad.  
> “Sie wissen, dass ich das nicht gesagt habe!!!” = You know I did not say that!  
> “Was felt dir?!” = What is wrong with you?!  
> “Werpiss dich!!!” = Fuck off!  
> “Sie and ich wissen beide, dass es nicht passieren wiiiiird!” = You and I both know that it will not happeeeeeen!  
> “Wasser” = Water  
> “Ich bin auf dich, mein Freund” = I’m onto you, my friend  
> “Oh gut! Du bis inordnung…” = “Oh good! You’re okay…”  
> “Nicht gut genug” = “Not good enough”  
> “Gute Nacht” = Good night  
> “Verdammte” = Damn  
> “mein Liebste/ Liebster” = My dearest/dearest one  
> “Liebe/Liebling” = love/darling  
> “Klugscheißer” = Smartass  
> “Stille” = hush


	6. Snow White

Coffee… The aroma filled her noise with its warm and robust scent, but there was something sweet to it. It was a scent she vividly recalled from her childhood. When her parents had gotten home from missions, Yang always had fresh cups waiting for them and Ruby had kept the tradition going when she or Uncle Qrow returned. Had they gotten home late last night and just not let Ruby know? A part of her got excited at the idea and she lifted herself, but there was something off.

The first thing she noticed was the jacket over her arms. It was unlike anything she or any of her friends owned. Sure, Coco had expensive tastes, but this was just a different level of expensive. The lining was almost silky against her skin and the outside was genuine leather, not that fake stuff that started cracking and looked really cheap.

“Win…ter…” A voice above her moaned out and Ruby jolted up. There it was - the metaphorical elephant in the room – and it hit her with an unforgiving Smite button. An extremely attractive girl was in bed with her and Ruby had apparently cuddled up to this girl in her sleep. The girl shifted uncomfortably in her and her mouth twisted in a frown, giving Ruby the urge to touch her. After a moment, she gave in and touched the girl’s arm and she seemed to relax. “…we…messed up…”

She was pale with long lashes and a faded indent sliced vertically across her left eye. Her ears were pierced with what looked to be stainless steel hoops that hugged closely to her ears and her features were fairly sharp and milky white. She definitely didn’t seem to see much sunlight, though that was fairly common in Hunters that liked to give Freaks the home advantage. These types of Hunters were usually extremely confident – often overconfident – in their abilities and the Coven usually had it out for them. Ruby placed her weight on one arm and her finger ran into something that reminded her of the slick lining of the jacket she was wearing. She glimpsed down and stared in awe, as she brought her fingers up.

Long, dark strands formed a web between her fingers, fanning out beneath the both of them. She lifted her hand, bringing the silky strands with her and they slipped through her fingers in a fluid manner. She was definitely well-cared for and smelled heavily of the coffee scent that Ruby had woken up to… so it was her? She sniffed at the jacket and verified her suspicion. It was the same scent… Hooooolyyyyy shit!!!

Quickly, she brought out her phone and snapped a picture, making sure to include herself in the picture with the sleeping girl. She made a horrified expression and captioned it “WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?! WHO IS THIS MAJESTIC MAIDEN?!” before she sent it to the other four girls she remembered had been at the bar with her. Moments later, the first response came back.

DING!... DING!... DING! DINGDING!.... DINGDINGDING!...

BringOnTheBanHammer: “majestic…”

“…maiden…”

“I FUCKING CALLED IT!!!”

“AND SHE’S WEARING HER JACKET!!!

“Smooth AF, Rubes!”

“Didn’t think you had it in you!”

“@CoCoBeanz”

“@CoCoBeanz”

“"... DING!.REATUREm across Snow'ding across her features to give away that she was flush red.

light in the room came from the mo@CoCoBeanz”

The girl was relentless with her texts. Most people preferred to talk to Nora in person because oxygen had its own way of limiting how many words she could fit in a single breath. Unfortunately, Nora had the potential to be one of the most abusive serial spammers in texting history. If Ruby had to be honest, she was surprised Nora hadn’t gotten herself banned from using Facebase – a badge she proudly displayed in the form of her screen name. Seriously, she was a giant ass red flag.

CoCoBeanz: “WHAT!!!”

BringOnTheBanHammer: “I believe I am owed $10, madam!!!”

CoCoBeanz: “Are you fkn kiddin me? Wtf happened!”

Rubblez: “Like I frikin’ know! That’s why I’m asking you guys! The last thing I remember is a drink with strawberries and something called a Leeb… Is that like a pleb or something?”

BringOnTheBanHammer: “OMFG, you got SOOOOOOOOOO SMASHED!”

CoCoBeanz: “Nora, no!”

“Ruby, that girl is an Outsider. Unlike Elites, they aren’t necessarily loyal to the Schnee. Plus, from what I gathered, she’s a foreigner. I didn’t see anyone else with her though, but it seems like she **does** have a mission.”

Rubblez: “Er, was she nice?”

CoCoBeanz: “Do you want me to come over? Because I will come right now…”

Rubblez: “That doesn’t answer my question…”

CoCoBeanz: “She… seemed nice, but she’s Atlesian and you know how their tempers are... We didn’t know Junior’s was vamp-friendly, so she was trying to be friendly. Inhumans tend to steer clear of those they see as a threat.”

Rubblez: “I see. I want to talk to her first… I’m in a lot of pain and I wanna’ know what happened.”

JustAThordinaryGirl: “LOL our little Rubbles has her first hangover! <3 <3 <3”

Ruby rolled her eyes at the message. Of course her head hurt, but she was referring to the bruises on her knees and the torn stockings she could see on the ground. Coco was going to kill her when she found out, so there was no way she was letting her come over right now. Hopefully, the rest of the outfit was fine…

DING. Speaking of the empress of ensembles, Ruby looked at her phone and saw that Coco had messaged her outside of their group chat. That was weird. Coco wasn’t really the type that just messaged her individually. The suave girl usually had no problem with saying whatever she needed to in front of everyone else.

CoCoBeanz: “Hey.” Oh no! She used a period! This was something serious!

Rubblez: “What’s up?”

CoCoBeanz: “You stormed out last night and Penny went after you. I didn’t realize that Atlesian was going to wind up at home with. The bartender mentioned a vampire to her and she stormed out of the bar. Did something happen?”

Suddenly, Ruby started to recall some of last night’s events, but there was nothing about Penny. She held her head and groaned as her head throbbed with pain. She had definitely asked the girl to come inside with her and she remembered having a breakdown in front of her, but why? Did something happen?

Rubblez: “I don’t remember anything about Penny after I left the bar. I asked this person to stay with me though.”

CoCoBeanz: “I see. That’s alright. I’m sure she’s just still passed out at home still.”

“That’s awfully bold of you though. Inviting a stranger in.”

Rubblez: “Yeah, but I think something happened. Maybe that was why? I’m not sure though.”

CoCoBeanz: “Are you sure you don’t want me to come over?”

Rubblez: “Yeah. Maybe later or we could meet up.”

CoCoBeanz: “Definitely. I have a really weird feeling about her. The bartender said something that pissed her off and she flew out of the bar before Nora or I could ask. He wouldn’t say shit about it either.”

Rubblez: “O…kay?”

CoCoBeanz: “I’m just glad you made it home safe. I tried calling you a bunch, but you didn’t answer. I did get a text back. It didn’t sound like you though, so I was wondering who was with you.”

A text? Ruby looked back at their chat and went over the messages. Sure enough it was there. “Home. Asleep. Will contact in morning.” The tone didn’t match Ruby’s usual texting, so she knew it wasn’t her. Then again, it wouldn’t have surprised her if her friends had blown up her phone and the foreigner had eventually responded to calm them down.

CoCoBeanz: “Soooo? >BD”

Rubblez: “???”

CoCoBeanz: “Did you guys fuck?”

Rubblez: “OMFG GO AWAY!!!”

CoCoBeanz: “That wasn’t a nooo~”

Ruby smashed the phone into her face as if the force would erase the pixels on her phone from existence. Why were her friends so interested in her sex life?! She really wasn’t actively looking for anything. She had other things to do with her life, like... well, she couldn’t think anything right now, but still!

Looking up from her phone with a sigh, her eyes trailed up the girl’s body… Her figure really was nice, and she really liked those crystal… blue… eyes… crystal blue eyes?! Oh shit!

“Ah!” Ruby fell back in surprise, earning a laugh from the girl. “H-how long have you been awake?” The stranger slowly sat up and smirked.

“ _Mal sehen_ … Long enough to know you took my picture and have been furiously texting someone,” she smirked and raised an eyebrow at Ruby. “Did you think I took advantage of you?”

_I’d prefer you were sober enough to remember me in the morning._

Ruby’s face reddened as she recalled her own actions the night before. She’d all but thrown herself at a girl she’d just met, but that same girl had politely declined her. Which really said a lot about the kind of person she was, but… did that mean she _had_ been interested in her???

“N-no,” Ruby wished she could die at the moment. This person had witnessed a less than stellar moment for her. “I just… A stranger was in bed with me and I thought my friends might know about it! Y-you looked so peaceful and I didn’t want to wake you!!!” Ruby clapped her hands together in an apology and partially bowed in apology. “But… I guess that kinda’ didn’t matter because you were apparently awake anyway and… we didn’t… _do_ anything, right???”

“Hahaha!” The dark girl burst out in laughter and wiped at her eye, before flashing her a seductive look. Deliberately slow, she climbed over Ruby and drew close to her. Hot breath heated her ears and she flushed at their close proximity, but she there was a playfulness to her actions that eased Ruby. “No, but you wanted to, _Lieb_.” Ah, that’s where that word came from.

“ _Macht nichts_ ,” she lifted herself up with a smug smile. “I’m above that sort of thing, especially with the state you were in. You seemed content with sleeping next to me though.”

So she was incredibly confident, good-looking foreign girl who took the moral high ground, even when presented with the opportunity? That was rare… or was it? Were foreign customs just that much more respectful? Between that and the wavering accent, it just made her even hotter than she already thought she was. Then again, she knew she’d have absolutely no chance with a girl like this. Crap, maybe her friends were right about her… wait… The way she phrased that was off.

“ _Especially_ , with the state I was in?” If were possible, Ruby invented a new shade of red and her eyes bulged. “So what stopped you other than my sobriety?”

“Other than being a decent person?” The flirtatious girl lifted her eyebrow to emphasize the obvious and laughed. “You’re straight! You were arguing with your friends about your preferences and I’d rather not associate my first time with doing the walk of shame from a straight girl’s house. Either way, it doesn’t change that you _are_ very cute!” Ruby’s face puffed up and she pouted to herself.

“Aw!” The Outsider pinched her cheeks between her fingers. “You’re like a little kid. I just wanna’ pinch your cheeks!” Wait, did she mean _cute_ as in like a kid sister?! Oh, come on!!! This was the kind of crap Yang did to her! Ruby batted her away and let out a defensive whine.

“Hahaha!” Ruby soaked in the angelic sound that came from the coffee-scented girl. The girl closed her eyes for a moment and brought her knee up to her head. Resting her head against her knee, she fell into a relaxed state and looked at Ruby with a mirthful expression. A stray portion of hair washed over her features and cascaded over her knee, revealing her neck.

“How are you feeling?” When she spoke this time, the whimsy in her voice had replaced itself with a much softer and caring tone.

“I,” Ruby’s breath hitched in her throat and she felt a nervous bubbling in her stomach. “Just have a headache.”

“That’s good,” she smiled at her again and Ruby cursed the fluttering of her heart. Between that smile and those baby blue eyes, this girl was going to kill her. Suddenly, she was remembering things from last night – things that had drawn Ruby closer and closer to her. “Are you sure you’re alright? You’re zoning out on me, _Lieb_.”

“Huh? Uh,” Ruby tried to look around for anything else. Her walls were filled with posters of famous Hunters and weapon models that she had worked on, but no matter how hard she tried, her eyes kept coming back to what was quickly becoming her favorite thing to look at in her room. “It’s just… can I be honest about something and it _not_ be awkward?”

“Yes?” The Outsider smiled awkwardly in response and Ruby shut her eyes, hoping she didn’t sound weird.

“You have _really_ pretty eyes…” There was a long pause between them and Ruby slowly opened her eyes again. Hopefully, she hadn’t just stuck her foot in her mouth.

The Outsider’s raven hair had fallen over her face, but Ruby was fairly certain she could see traces of red beneath the long, silky strands. She’d gone stiff and the cool demeanor Ruby had become accustomed to vanished. To put it bluntly, she looked like her brain was lagging – a dilemma Ruby was all too familiar with.

“Miss?”

“Oh!” The girl shook her head and sat up straight, revealing her face to be equally as flushed as Ruby’s. An awkward smile wormed its way across her face and her words were nervous. “Um, thank… you…” She rubbed the back of her head, avoiding eye contact with Ruby.

“Sorry, they just… drew me in,” Ruby tried to explain. The Atlesian’s reaction had been extremely unexpected. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“ _Nein_!” The huntress turned and responded quickly, though she fumbled across the last half of her words. “You’re not the first to say that. Just the first time that… never mind… [_es bedeutet mir etwas_](https://context.reverso.net/translation/german-english/es+bedeutet+mir+etwas) …”

“Do you get that a lot?” Ruby was starting to notice something about her. For an Atlesian, her English was very well-spoken… but she had a quirk that Ruby found extremely amusing.

Ruby had heard that people favored the culture and language they were raised with. Actually, Velvet had been similar when they’d first met her. The rabbit Faunus had come from Australia when she was very young. They spoke English there, and it was rare now, but she did sometimes slip back into her accent and used words associated with _home_. That really only happened when something made her nostalgic… or nervous.

In the Atlesian’s case, the fog was lifting from Ruby’s mind and she began to recall the conversation with the bartender and something became extremely obvious between then and now. She was definitely the type that reverted back to her Atlesian roots when she lost control of the situation. Ruby smirked to herself and decided to test the waters a bit with that theory.

“It’s because they’re so blue,” her Atlesian companion offered with a nod. “It’s the first thing anyone notices about me.”

“Oh,” Ruby gave her a merciless smile. “The blue is pretty too!”

“Too?” She asked with a tilt of her head and Ruby could see the gears turning in her head. “You didn’t mean the color? [_Was meinen Sie?_](https://context.reverso.net/translation/german-english/Was+meinen+Sie%3F) _Worum geht es dann?_ ”

“Well, yeah,” Ruby tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Mom used to always say that eyes are the windows to the soul. You can tell anything about a person by looking at their eyes…” She looked away for a moment. “Your eyes just feel familiar – like I’ve seen your soul before. Maybe I knew someone who was like you once... a long time ago…” The Outsider eyes softened as she let her words sink in.

“ _Ich glaube, ich_ _verstehe_ ,” she sat back and placed her weight on both her hands. “ _Du denkst, ich ha_ \- you think I have a beautiful soul.” She stopped herself mid-sentence to correct herself and Ruby hid her smile.

“…yeah…” Ruby spoke softly. “That’s what I meant.”

“Relax,” she nudged her with her foot as her whimsical nature gradually returned. “I’m glad you think that of me. Are you… enjoying my jacket?” Ruby’s eyes went large and she was greeted with a merciless smirk.

“Ah, sorry!” Realizing she might want it back, Ruby began to slip it off. “I forgot I had it on!”

“ _Mach dir keine Sorgen, Liebe_ ,” she nudged her again. “You can’t have it, but you can wear it for now. You seem to be much better since last night. I just noticed you hadn’t tried to take it off at all. You even slept in it.”

“Thank… you.” Having barely removed it, she shrugged the jacket back over her shoulders and left it on. After all, she’d been given permission. “Just let me know when you want it back, I guess?”

“Do you remember my name?” The Outsider pointed to herself with a knowing smile and Ruby looked down in shame. “Aw, and I’m even letting you wear my necklace! I wouldn’t give that to just anyone!” She fake-pouted for a moment, guilt-tripping Ruby even further. “It’s alright though. You weren’t in the best state of mind last night. I’m Snow.”

“Um, well, thank you for helping me, Snow.” Ruby fidgeted nervously. “But what happened last night? I mean, I remember inviting you in and being scared… but… why?”

“Oh, [_ich_ _verstehe_](https://context.reverso.net/translation/german-english/ich+verstehe). You really _don’t_ remember much,” Snow spoke to herself more than anything, but vaguely noticed Ruby rubbing at her sinuses. “Well, I’ll explain things as best I can, but do you want to get something to eat? You need to get something in your stomach and drink some water. It’ll help with your headache.”

“You and your water,” Ruby groaned and made a gagging sound. “Blegh!”

“I’m not budging on that…”

“Yes, _Mom_ …” Ruby said sarcastically, earning another look of sheer displeasure. “Um, I can always make something,” Ruby tried to change the subject. “For… both of us…” A bright smile rewarded her offer, causing her to swell. Crawling toward the edge of the bed, Ruby stood up and hissed in pain. “Ow!”

“Here,” Snow stood next to her and offered her arm. “We’ll also get some more ice for your knee.”

Snow helped Ruby down the stairs, though it took more time than Ruby had wanted. She limped into the kitchen and told Snow to sit, though she remained standing and watched as Ruby continued to hobble around. After several minutes, Snow retrieved a bag from the same cabinet she’d found them in the night before. As Ruby continued to groan in pain from gathering the necessary items around the kitchen, Snow filled the bag of ice and set it on the table. The pain started to finally get to be too much for Ruby and she paused to take a moment to recover.

“Ruby,” Snow came up behind her and placed her arms on her shoulders, causing the sore girl to turn her head in acknowledgement. The Atlesian turned her around and guided her to a seat that she had pulled out. She propped a leg up onto another chair, covered one of her knees with a kitchen towel, and sat the ice bag on top of it. “I’ll take over. Just sit here.”

“But I said that I’d-“

“Don’t worry about it,” Snow brushed a hand through Ruby’s hair and she relaxed into the touch. The debate was over. “I can handle it. Trust me?”

As Snow began to work with everything, Ruby was left with her thoughts. Her knee ached, but the pain was the least important thing in her mind. Her mind was a mess trying to figure out how Snow held this kind of influence over her. The way she treated her felt so familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She’d honestly never met someone who spoke Atlas’ language around her, though Snow was by no means the first person of Atlesian descent she’d met. There were a few families in Vale, though they were all fairly prominent.

Several minutes went by as Snow went to work on their breakfast and Ruby watched her. Eventually, she brought over a large plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. After a moment, Snow sat the dreaded glass of water in front of her and she groaned… She was serious…

“You look like you like syrup,” Snow said. “Where do you keep it?”

“Oh, um, the cabinet next to the fridge.” Snow opened it and pulled it out.

“Ruby,” Snow looked over the bottle. “This is open…”

“Yeah, it’s not like it’s gonna’ kill me or anything.” Snow frowned at Ruby’s dismissal.

“Oh, _mein Gott_ ,” the Atlesian mumbled under her breath. “You do know that you’re supposed to refrigerate syrup, correct?”

“You are?” Ruby gasped in mock shock as she poured it over her pancakes. “But I mean, I only opened it a couple days ago.”

“A couple days?” Snow eyed the half-consumed bottle. How much syrup did she use?! She watched as the thick liquid soaked into her pancakes and mentally gagged. Sugar was alright, but not _that_ much. Besides, how could she just ruin the texture like that?! It was going to turn into a soggy mess of mush.

“I mean, breakfast places have theirs out all day and no one dies,” Ruby cut into the stack and shoved it in her mouth. “Besides, id only lashts a few deijsh ‘eer.” Snow stared at her wide-eyed as she spoke with her mouth full.

“You shouldn’t talk with your mouth full,” Snow said in shock. “It’s impolite.”

“Whatever,” Ruby laughed. “This is really good! It kinda’ reminds me of…” Ruby zoned out as memories came flooding back to her. Breakfast used to be filled with happiness back then…

“Hey,” Snow took her hand. “Don’t think too much. Are you feeling better from earlier?” Ruby wiped at her eyes and nodded.

“Do you think you could tell me about last night?” Snow nodded and Ruby tried to finish her breakfast.

As Snow recalled the events of the night, the few blanks that were left began to fill in. Her heart sank to bottom of her already filled stomach and her hand came up to her throat. Everything was still sensitive and throbbed to the touch, bringing back mental images of what had happened. From the moment Ruby had stormed out of the bar, to the malice that saturated Weiss’ voice, and the kindness Snow had shown her, she was finally able to remember everything. Something was nagging at her though.

“Why does Weiss want my blood?” Sure, she was a vampire and they hadn’t gotten along in a very long time. Still, it seemed odd that Weiss was so fixated on it to the point of _need_. “She was oddly specific about it.”

“…” Blue eyes watched her in surprise, trying to get a read on her. A few different emotions danced across Snow’s face as she tried to decide what to say, but she ultimately found her words. “How much do you know about yourself?”

“Um, I’m Ruby Rose.” The red tips of Ruby’s bangs swayed a bit as she looked up in thought. “And I’m terrible at everything!”

“Why do I find that hard to believe?” Monotone was the best way Ruby could describe Snow’s voice and her reaction was equally as exasperated. The legs of Snow’s chair Snow dragged lightly across the ground as she stood and gathered their used dishes.

“Oh, you don’t have to that! I’ll…” A sharp look from her savior was all it took to silence her. She sighed at her utter uselessness and pouted as Snow took care of things. “Just sit here…”

“Ruby,” Snow’s voice was sweet as the syrup Ruby had just slathered her pancakes in. “You have bandages, correct?”

“Uh, y-yeah.” Now that she thought about it, even the best hunters took on injuries from vampires. Even low level vamps were nothing to sneer at and even Ruby had been able to tell that Weiss wasn’t some bottom tier Piress. The pressure of her Forge was on a completely different level than she’d experienced from other Darkforge beings. It almost radiated from her and created a sickening feeling inside Ruby, as if it were suffocating her on a spiritual level. “Downstairs bathroom under the stairs, in the cabinet under the sink.”

A few moments later, Snow returned with two large compression bandages. Opening one at a time, she sat them on the table and removed the bag and towel from Ruby’s leg. Snow reached toward the hem of the skirt Ruby wore and hesitated, looking to her for consent. When there was no resistance, she touched her fingers just barely firm enough to slide the fabric up her thigh.

“Let me know if it’s too tight or not enough.” Pale fingers set to work wrapping the dressing around her knee, just firmly enough to support it but not enough to restrict movement or blood flow. If she thought about it, Snow had probably done this many times for others.

From what she knew about Outsiders, they tended to live outside of the cities. Her own parents and uncle had been a team of Outsiders but they chose to live in Vale, so she had at least been familiar with the concept of who they were. They just didn’t fit the standard – her family never did. They lived _outside_ the norm.

“Your blood is very special, Ruby.” Snow’s voice interrupted her thoughts, earning her curiosity. Though Snow continued on, she remained focused on her task. “Haven’t you always found it strange that they run an unusual amount of tests on you?”

“How do you know about that?” An uneasy feeling came over her and she leaned back, as if it would have actually put distance between them.

“You’re a Rose,” Snow finally met her eyes again. “The Schnee treat all Roses the same – even your mother. Are they really keeping you in the dark about yourself? Didn’t Summer ever tell you anything???”

Seeing Snow’s fist clench in her lap, she started to pick up on a strange sense of attachment. Was Snow getting upset over this? She vaguely remembered Snow being upset last night when the deaths of Ruby’s parents had been brought up, but why?

“Snow?”

“ _Du erinnerst dich wirklich nicht an mich, oder?_ ” The huntress murmured in a small voice. The confidence she’d regained drained from her voice and she wore an almost bittersweet expression. She almost seemed broken. “Well, only Roses can pass down their own teachings. No one else knows how to make you do exactly what you’re able do… and if Summer’s gone, then I guess there is no one else…”

“What don’t I know?” It was starting to get on Ruby’s nerves. All the years of being given weird tests and sometimes even being pulled out of classes for them had made Ruby think that something was genuinely wrong with her. Of course, Ruby had always thought that it was to figure out why she was apparently the only non-Holy human in the world that seemed to completely sabotage Lightforge.

“The Rose family is the only known family of Witches to exist in the New Age,” Snow gently squeezed Ruby’s calf. “You have Witch’s blood flowing through your veins… and vampires would do anything for it.”

“What?! Why?!” Ruby shouted, surprising Snow. She wasn’t really upset with Snow, per se. Really, it was that Snow knew things about her and she was from an entirely different country. How many other people knew? Did her friends? “Does Uncle Qrow know?! Does everyone know?!” Snow shook her head in response.

“It’s strictly need-to-know,” Snow looked at her sincerely. “You need to have special access with Vale’s upper levels. I’m unsure if your sister knows, but I do know that the ScareQrow was made aware at some point. He knew about your mother, so I’m sure that it speaks for itself with you.”

“… Are you… a need-to-know person?” Was that really why she had been watching over her last night? And what about the wolf that had been watching her? Was that Weiss’ partner?

“Hey, hey,” Snow spoke in a comforting manner. “It’s not like that. I haven’t been home in years.” Home? Waaaaait, she thought she was Atlesian. “They wouldn’t give me clearance like that. I’m not even a licensed hunter.”

“Wait, what?!” That made things even worse!

“Ah, no… Wait, let me try that again,” Snow panicked as she tried to find the right words again. “I was in Vale’s system as a student up through my elementary years. However, I was given an ultimatum early on and never even made it that far in school.” Seeing that Ruby had relaxed, Snow began wrapping her other leg. “As a result of my decision, I was sent to live with my teacher’s people. They live in the Outerlands – you know, the territories outside city limits.” Ruby recalled that Jaune said that the Puritans were out that way, as well. Had she fled into the city with her teammates to avoid them?

“It’s a rather lawless place out there. There is no licensing system, Lightbearers, UV systems, Hunters, protections of any sort. All we have out there are ourselves,” Snow moved on with her explanation. “I would have had to make it to at least my Junior year at Signal in order to take the licensing tests.”

“So what about Atlas?”

“I never said I was from Atlas or even a citizen of the Atlesian Empire,” Snow poked at her forehead. “You all assumed that yourselves.” Ruby frowned at her in discontent.

“So you’re just faking it?”

“Haha, no,” the dark haired beauty grinned at her. “My upbringing was Atlesian, as is my family’s heritage. Knowing that, Sensei sent me to the area around Atlas as part of my training and I was assigned my first mission.”

“Could you tell me about it?” Ruby’s question was innocent, but Snow answered her with a tired smile.

“I’d prefer not to talk about it.” Ah, she was right. First missions were usually rough and very negative experiences. Yang’s definitely wasn’t a happy occasion and a lot of other Hunters’ weren’t either. Why would an Outsider’s experience be any different? Then again, maybe Ruby secretly hoped that being an Outsider would have made it different.

“Okay,” Ruby considered the rest of their conversation and settled for returning to a previous subject. “You still seem knowledgeable about the things going on here.” The statement was out of genuine curiosity. It wasn’t meant to undermine her in anyway. Ruby was just completely puzzled as to why someone who had been outside the system would know so much.

“Oh… well,” Snow averted her eyes. “My teacher is… a former Valean hunter that belonged to an outside faction. While she is still in the system, she isn’t particularly loyal to the Schnee. She is still widely considered one of the best at acquiring information. All of my teachers were the best Vale had to offer. That’s why I was able to exceed expectations…” Snow trailed off, losing herself in her thoughts. “Of that, I am certain…”

DING!

“Oh, crapbaskets!” Another message dinged on Ruby’s phone, ruining the mood and she scrambled to grab it. “Coco wanted me to meet up with her at some point today.”

“You really shouldn’t be walking around like this.” Bandages layered over her knees, Ruby’s bottom half was vaguely reminiscent of a mummy. All she was missing was a tomb.

“I… can get a Swyft,” Ruby offered with a cringe. She really didn’t like getting into cars with strangers, but it was better than the constant pain.

“Or you could stay in and _not_ make your injuries worse.” The two locked into a staring contest where neither was willing to back down. A tune started to play on Ruby’s phone and she answered, still locked in a battle of whose eyes would dry out first. Little did Snow know, Ruby’s optical prowess had been honed by many years of standoffs with an overbearing older sister. She was dealing with a champion here!

“What’s up, Coco?” Ruby said smugly.

“ _Du weißt es besser_ ,” Snow narrowed her eyes, who responded with an antagonizing smile. She didn’t have to understand German to know a warning when she saw one.

“Sure!” Ruby chimed with false innocence. “I’ll see you guys soon! Definitely!” After a moment, she went pale. “Uh, s-sure…” She hung up the phone and felt her soul leave her body.

“What?” Clearly displeased with Ruby, Snow snapped the word at her.

“Coco wants you to come too…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, current plans! Next chapter introduces Yang and sets her up to go looking for her Uncle, while Snow is grumpy that Ruby refuses to stay off her feet. I think I’m going to upload chapters in batches, rather than single ones. This will allow me to take more time to you guys something planned out a little better. This first upload is the first six chapters and I hope to give you guys a minimum of two chapters each time, though I’m shooting for three or four. I mentioned previously that there are five main arcs, but each one is divided into other sub-arcs.
> 
> Over the next few chapters, Yang, Blake, Qrow, and Raven will all be introduced. We’ll also be working toward the conflicts between Snow/Winter/Ruby/Cinder. Penny has vanished, but Ruby’s friends are kind of hiding it at the moment. You’ll also find out where she it. (No surprise for those who have read the original.)
> 
> *-*THOSE WHO HAVE READ THE ORIGINAL*-*
> 
> Do you want to see Ironwood appear? I had plans for Ironwood originally, but then they became pointless as the story went on. If I do, he’d be more of a minor character that influences things occasionally – like a Quest Giving NPC that craps out weapon upgrades every time you complete a task. >.> Which I feel is essentially what he is in RWBY anyway.
> 
> German (Atlesian) to English:  
>  “Mal sehen” = Let’s see  
> “Macht nichts” = Don’t worry  
> “es bedeutet mir etwas” = It means something to me  
> "Was meinen Sie? Worum geht es dann?” = What do you mean? What else is there?  
> “Ich glaube, ich verstehe” = I think I understand  
> “Mach dir keine Sorgen, Liebes” = Don’t worry about it, love.  
> “ich verstehe” = I understand  
> “Du erinnerst dich wirklich nicht an mich, oder?” = You really don’t remember me, do you?  
> “Du weißt es besser” = You know better


	7. Raid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, looks like I uploaded the wrong version of this chapter! I keep things archived and went dumb. Oi. Kicking my own butt over this. Forewarning, this chapter is A LOT more violent that the first one.

**ooO The Evening Before Ooo**

Wind belted across her person, whipping her golden mane in every direction as it fought against her bike. Lightweight and powerful, Bumblebee was built to be a master on and off the road. She was fuel efficient, pushed a little over 100mph, and had suspension up the ass. The bike was just as much a part of her as her skin and she made sure she was unmistakably branded with the colors of her namesake. Bumblebee was adorned with a metallic chrome yellow and black matte paint job.

Coming to a stop, she removed her helmet and took in her immediate surroundings. When they were smaller, her parents used to tell her about the city that existed here. Mom and Dad used to talk about how fun this town used to be, but her own mama… Raven… She’d told Yang stories about how the city fell to The Council. Mama said she didn’t want Yang to be involved in this kind of life, but it was better that she understood what it truly meant to be a Hunter before she got sucked in… and then she left. She abandoned them when they needed her most - when Mom and Dad were murdered in front of her and Ruby’s eyes.

Well, it was more Yang that saw everything. She’d buried her baby sister’s face in her chest and told her not to look. No matter how much Ruby struggled, Yang fought through her own sobs to keep Ruby close. The look in Mom’s eyes told her everything she needed to know. As they were hidden away in the special nook in their closet, Yang knew it would be the last time she saw her. Mom gave them a happy smile and told Yang that help would come soon. Everything else was a blur of Rose red and Xiao Long gold. Yang shook the thoughts away. This was no time to be getting lost in her memories. She needed to focus on her task in this city.

Seeing how the wild had long reclaimed the cityscape, it was hard to imagine that this place had once been brimming with life. Frogs croaked in the distance and crickets had just begun to sing their songs. Rubble was strewn about covered in moss and a variety of overgrowth – a clear testament to the destruction The Council was capable of.

In the center of the city was a warehouse that had been abandoned years ago and damn did it look suspicious as hell. It was an old place that had once been responsible for manufacturing tires and various other polymers. Windows were bashed in, there were no lights, and electricity had long since been cut off from the grid. Looking over it, Yang actually wondered to herself how it kept getting missed. The place was centered in the midst of what looked to be an old business district that had been ravaged by fire and blown apart.

As her squad exited their vehicle, she decided to walk the perimeter while they waited for the other squads to show up. With each careful step, the metal soles of the exoskeleton that lined her uniform gently clinked against the asphalt. Where Weres and Faunus had increased physical capabilities, humans had to get creative in order to match their darker counterparts.

The EXO-system, as they called it, was designed for the human Hunters that would regularly face Darkforge creatures. It redistributed incoming force and provided extra protection to the easily damaged areas through armor plating and shock absorption. However, its most notable function was its ability to enhance the output of kinetic energy. It literally gave humans strength on par with their enemies, though Forgebearing was an entirely different story all together.

That came down to the Hunter’s individual talent. No amount of mechanical enhancement could grant someone the ability to manipulate Forge. They were simply born as a Lightforge Bearer and became an Elite or you were bitten and gained the ability to manipulate Darkforge, at the cost of your humanity. Those were the only ways to _gain_ the talent.

“Xiao Long,” her field leader called out to her. After three missions, she was still struggling to recall his name. Details weren’t her forte, but thankfully he’d come to realize she was efficient enough to be handled without kid gloves... even if her memory was poor when it came to things like that. “I’ll never understand why you bring this damn thing with you.”

“Leave Bumblebee alone,” she grinned back at him as he tapped on the handlebars of the black and yellow plated motorcycle. “We go everywhere together. Never know when I’ll need her!”

“And by _need her_ does that mean ammo storage?” He motioned to a box holding a ridiculous amount of ammo. “Or off-roading?”

“Like I said, never know when I’ll need her!” She shrugged, following it up with a grin. “Besides, my ammo is well-spent!”

“Ah,” he nodded in sarcasm. “Well, how about we make a deal. I’ll pray a little less and you’ll spray a little less in exchange.”

“Oh, don’t worry! There won’t be any spraying tonight!” Yang shouldered her shotgun and pulled a large handgun from the holster on her side. Her aim wasn’t really that great when it came to automatics due to the recoil, but she knew her way around any single-shot weapon. Selectives were also acceptable. “Brought out the big guns tonight!” The blonde cooed at her weapons. “Yes, I did. Did you guys enjoy your stay with Aunt Ruby? I know she said Ironwood was supposed to do it, but Mommy only trusts Aunt Ruby and Uncle Qrow with her babies! I even made sure she got you guys extra ready for tonight!”

“You and that god damn Deagle,” he rolled his eye. “If you love it so much, why don’t you fuck it already?”

“…I mean…”

“That was a joke,” he said flatly. “Please _do not_ engage in maritals with your weaponry! It’s bad enough you already talk to them.”

“Aw, you’re no fun! Bumblebee is my first love anyway,” Yang dismissed him with her hands folded behind her head. “You should hear Rubes, though. She’s way worse.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

 _I heard you have a hairline trigger… You’re such a dirty girl! I bought this special CLP_ just _for you! First, I’m gonna’ strip your parts and lather you in oil. Then I’m gonna’ brush my fingers across your frame until I squeeze your trigger and make you prematurely discharge downrange._

“… You don’t know my sister,” the blonde shivered as she recalled some of her sister’s conversations with her weapons. She was always the innocent one in the groups, but sit her down in a room full of weapon parts and there was no going back. “She talks dirty to them, but sometimes she even _responds_ for them. I’m not _that_ bad.”

Seriously, Rubes either needed more friends or to get laid. Just, whatever it was, she needed to hang out with less weaponry and Yang had just the idea for a perfect start. She was taking those god-awful posters off her walls when she got home. Maybe she could replace them with some kind of celebrity for her to ogle… Did she even have a celebrity she liked??? She’d have to get it out of Coco later.

Somehow, the brunette and Nora managed to get those things out of her. In fact, she’d already set a plan into motion. Those two were going to drag her baby sister to Junior’s in a few hours and figure out what her type was. At least then, maybe Yang could be a big sister and introduce her to some potential dates.

With those two at the helm, the plan was fool proof! Nora was outgoing and Coco could reign in the craziness. She’d probably rope Velvet and Penny into doing the reconnaissance for her though. Plus, Yang had already put the fear of God into the staff and they knew who the Rose-Xiao Long sisters were. What could go wrong?

“A little late, but they’re finally here. Maybe we can get this shit started.” The soldier grinned at her and Yang returned the gesture, before looking over the area once more. Three other trucks pulled up beside her squad’s and a large group of Hunters joined her own them.

“Yo, August, what’s this I hear about the Bandersnatch being sighted around Vale?” One of the guys called out as he approached the field leader… So his name was August. Cool. She’d definitely remember that this time… right?

“The… Bandersnatch?” Yang asked curiously. That wasn’t a name she’d heard before. Was this some sort of new Elder? Maybe this raid had been scheduled to keep a new population under control.

“Oh, hey Goldilocks! What’s up!” The man grinned at her and waved. “Glad to see you ain’t called it quits yet!”

“Quitting is for quitters!” Yang stuck her tongue out at him, earning several laughs. “Sooooo who’s this Bandersnatch?”

“Not much to know,” August answered. “Unusual Freak that’s making trouble for The Council. The Puritans have their eyes on it too. Trouble follows close behind.”

“Do they know what kind of Freak?” Her curiosity peaked. Surely, they’d at least gotten that.

“Some rumors claim it’s a vampire, others claim it’s a Shapeshifter of some kind, but with a name like, I’d assume it’s some kind of canine-type creature.” He motioned for someone to come his way. “Just keep an eye out for anything strange.”

A shapeshifter? She’d heard of some Faunus having the ability to cause illusions that mimicked shapeshifting, but it was an optical illusion. The next best thing was an ability that Elders possessed. Though it didn’t last long, they could reshape their cloaks to mirror shadowy beings. Replicating a person’s appearance on a physical level wasn’t one of them though. She shook the thoughts away and checked their surroundings.

“Oh shit!” A red glint caught Yang’s eye and she spotted a dark mass in the underbrush. “Grimm!” At Yang’s call, the bush rustled violently and it fled in the opposite direction of their camp. Yang tried to chase after it on foot, but it was too damn fast. Watching it gain distance, she headed back to her bike and put her helmet on.

“Xiao Long!” The soldier from earlier called. “Be quick about it or we’re doing this without you.” Beneath the helmet, she turned her head in his direction and gave a nod. Revving the engine twice, her tires spit behind her and she sped off.

Closing in on the beast, she took a better look at it. It was a dark and shaggy looking creature, very unlike a standard Beowolf. Wind violently ruffled its fur, which whipped around in a series of pitch-black, thick, smoke-like vapors. As its shape became clearer, it became more and more apparent that it was a quadrupedal wolf-like creature that stood taller than Bumblebee.

The creature was definitely of Darkforge origin, but it wasn’t necessarily a Grimm. It lacked some of the more basic hallmarks like bone-plating and only one of its eyes was red. The other was a crystal blue color, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a Grimm. New variations were still being discovered every time they faced a new Elder. Whatever it was, it was something that wasn’t in Vale’s registry and the presence of Darkforge beckoned another question: how the hell was it running around with daylight still out?

It didn’t matter how bright it was outside, Grimm were creatures of pure Darkforge and Darkforge did poorly in the presence of solar-related energy, like Lightforge and UV lights. It burned them to ashes, even when it was setting. That was why humans were so much more relaxed during the day and didn’t have to worry about them. Lunar energy was what drew them out and made them stronger. If it was a Grimm, this meant an Elder was in the area and recon hadn’t said anything about the possibility of an Elder’s presence. Despite siring their own houses, Elders were seldomly found near vampire safe houses. They tended not to stick around small-time pires, unless there was grunt work to assigned, and even then, it was generally a noble that was assigned as a caretaker and relayed information back and forth… so what was it doing here?

Yang revved the again and the beast skidded to a stop, making a B-line toward a wooded area nearby. Why was it running? Didn’t they normally atta- oh shit! As she caught up to it again, it rammed into her bike, knocking the vehicle over. Thrown from the bike, she quickly armed herself with her shotgun as she rolled across the hard dirt and readied herself for an attack.

Just as she assumed, the wolf charged her and attacked, but Yang used her shotgun to absorb the brunt of the attack. It snapped at the gun but she kept it sideways in its mouth and struggled to hold it at bay. It pushed forward with a muffled growl and breathed hotly at her. She wondered now if she was mistaken about it. The blue eye had vanished and only a single rage-filled eye remained in its right socket. The wolf was undeniably of Grimm origin.

“Zwei!” A petite figure covered from head-to-toe in a dark outfit dropped from a nearby tree. Small tufts of white peeked out from a hood that was drawn over their head, while a gas mask and trench coat further obscured any other identifying features.

Leathery and black, the trenchcoat clung to stranger’s body under its own weight. The coat itself was unbuttoned, revealing an inner piece that had been zipped up, making it difficult for Yang to decipher their gender. Other than their stature being shorter than her own, she didn’t really have anything to go off of in terms of defining characteristics. However, judging from their size and overall build, they were either a woman or an adolescent boy. Still, the coupling of the trench coat with the mask made Yang uncomfortable.

“[ _Aufhören_](https://context.reverso.net/translation/german-english/Aufh%C3%B6ren)!” Filtered by the mask’s respirator, the voice was metallic and bitey and now that she’d heard it a second time, it was definitely female. The beast slowly backed away and retreated to the mysterious individual, nuzzling her hand as it sat on its haunches beside her and silently observed Yang. _“Du weißt es besser!”_

Yang tried to pick herself up, but darkness started to creep in around her sight. She pushed up and her arms gave out. Her head was reeling and she felt light-headed and the last thing she remembered were shoes coming toward her. Heh. For someone who looked like they were dressed in flame-retardant gear, minimalist shoes weren’t exactly what she was expecting.

“Xiao Long?... This isn’t a good time for this,” the tinny voice was fading away and she found herself floating in the darkness. Strange… How did she know her name? “Xiao Long?”

**ooOOoo**

“Mommy! Mommy, look!” A small girl with black hair and red tips pulled at an older woman bearing an almost identical likeness. “Look what Yang and I made!”

“Haha, Ruby,” the woman laughed sweetly as she looked at the drawing the two girls had worked so diligently on. There was a figure outlined in white with silver eyes, one done in yellow with blue eyes, and two figures dressed in black with red eyes – one with spikes on top of its head and the other with a scribbled mass that she assumed was hair. “You girls did a wonderful job!”

“Do you think Daddy will like it?” Ruby’s eyes grew wide and shined, so she gave an emphatic nod. “And Uncle Qrow?... And Mama?”

“They’ll love it! In fact,” Summer pulled both girls in for a hug. “I think this is Top of the Refrigerator class work!”

“Yaaaaaay!” Both girls giggled together as Summer placed it up with a magnet, careful not to hide the important parts of the image. The front door opened and shut, followed by a courteous “I’m home” and the girls ran to greet their father. “Daddy’s home!”

“Ah!” The man fell as his girls tackled him to the ground. “Ooooh nooooo! Summer! I’ve been defeated! You’ll have to go on without me!”

“Wouldn’t be the first time Daddy couldn’t keep up!” Summer leaned her head out of the kitchen and quipped suggestively.

“Hey!” He snapped playfully. “Not in front of the girls!”

“Puh-lease,” Summer rolled her eyes. “Rae’s said way worse and they aren’t repeating it.”

“Well, you two parent your way,” he crossed his arms with each girl hanging over their own respective shoulder. “And I’ll parent my way! And my way is nothing lewd around them!”

“Daddy,” Ruby said innocently. “What’s _glued_?”

“Uuuuuuh…” Summer snickered as he pondered what to say. “It’s uh, um… when a mommy and a daddy… or two? mommies?... wait, no, I started that wrong… It’s when-“

“It’s something that makes little boys like you ask questions!” Summer winked at Tai as she lifted Ruby away from him.

“But I’m not a boy,” Ruby giggled. “You’re weird!”

“No, you’re weird!” Summer poked her nose and grinned. “Now, Daddy needs to take a shower because he smells grrr-ross!”

“Ew, grooooooss!” Yang rolled off his shoulder, holding her nose.

“Hey, you can smell pretty gross yourself!” Tai grumbled to Yang. “You try smelling you sometimes!”

“Hey, get a move on it soldier!” Summer swatted at him. “Dinner’s almost ready!”

“Yes, my liege!” Tai rolled his eyes and made his way toward his room.

“Yang, can you set the table?”

“Sure!” The blonde set out to grab the different dishes – six plates, six sets of silverware. One each for herself, Ruby, Mommy, Daddy, and… “Mommy?”

“Yeah, sweetie?” Summer called back.

“Do you think Mama and Uncle Qrow will be home for dinner?” There was a brief silence before Summer answered.

“I don’t think so hunny,” Summer came to the entryway and looked at her softly. “Not tonight. They’re almost done though!” A loud, but playful knock came from the front door that Yang recognized. It was a pattern that people they were familiar with used – Shave and a Hair Cut. “Yang, can you get that?”

“Sure!” Yang ran to the door and opened it. Before her, a tall man with white hair and red eyes. He stood proudly with a cane and seemed almost regal. He smiled gently at her and closed his eyes for emphasis.

“Hello, little one,” he said in a soothing voice. “Is Summer Rose home?”

“Mommy,” Yang called from the front door. “There’s a man at the door for you!”

“Yang, go ahead and,” Summer froze at the sight of the man.

“Hello, Summer,” the man lowered his sunglasses to meet her eyes.

“Come over here right now,” Summer beckoned to Yang.

“But-“

“Just do as I say,” Summer leered at him and Yang came to her. Summer brushed the bangs from her eyes and whispered to her. “Grab your sister and hide in your special place. No matter what you hear, don’t come out until Rae or Uncle Qrow comes to get you.”

**ooOOoo**

Fire… The scent of burning plastic and charring flesh wafted into Yang’s nostrils. With a deep inhale, Yang sprung up, coughing as the smoke entered her lungs. A dark jacket lay over her torso, with the Schnee’s snowflake insignia clearly displayed. From her side, an orange haze flickered and lit up the night sky.

Yang leaned against a tree and tried to push herself up. The tree bark was gnarled and rough beneath her fingers, snagging on her gloves as she leaned against the tree. What was going on?... She pressed a hand to her head and groaned in pain before she started looking around. The orange haze was bright enough that she could make out Bumblebee, toppled over several yard away…. Wait! That Grimm!

Eyes darting back and forth, Yang went on high alert. Where was it? Cautiously, she pushed away from the tree and headed toward the bike.

“Aw, poor girl,” Yang stood the bike up and ran her hand against some of the scratches. Cosmetically, Bumblebee was fucked, but there wasn’t anything essential wrong. There were dings all over the place and some pieces bent that would have to be replaced, but she could still manage the ride back to base camp.

Mounting the bike, she turned her head in the direction of the orange blaze and let out a hiss between her teeth. They must have started without her, though she could have sworn they were only using LF charges. There shouldn’t have been any true explosives. Lightforge wasn’t particularly destructive, unless in the hands of an Elite. It was more for coating or filling weapons, flashing away Darkforge, and emulating the sun’s energy in a bind. It was more effective that UV, but more difficult to produce. Leaving the jacket behind, she sped off as quickly as her bike would allow and rushed back to the base.

The closer she drew, the more the heat increased until she reached the trucks. Leaving Bumblebee beside her own squad’s car, she looked at her surroundings, but the camp was void of its previous inhabitants. Gunfire rang out off in the direction of the warehouse, so she ran toward the sound, trembling as a sense of dread came over her.

“Xiao Long!” She snapped her head in the direction of the voice and found August. “Holy shit! You’re alive!” A wave of flames lapped out at her and she dove out of the way in his direction.

“I had a run-in with a weird Grimm, but I’m alright.” She slammed her back against the wall he was hiding behind. “What the hell happened?”

“Intel was bad,” he peaked over the wall and fired a few shots that jerked his arm back with each bullet. A werewolf slid past her in a bullet-ridden heap, bleeding out at her feet. “There wasn’t a single god damned bloodsucker in there. We flashed the place to high hell and the beasts just started pouring!”

“It’s a disaster out here,” Yang grunted as she pulled out her desert eagle and looked out from the side. How the hell did it go so badly, so quickly? The bodies of several of the Hunters that she had just seen earlier were strewn across the warehouse yard. A few of them had managed to take out some beasts, but it had cost many of their lives. She winced and pressed her had to her forehead and he gave her a concerned look.

“Are you alright?”

“I got knocked off Bumblebee,” she hissed in pain but forced herself through it. “Nothing that can’t wait.” A hulking wolf came into sight and she came out from the wall. “Hey, Ugly!” It snapped its head in her direction and reared back on its haunches. “Yeah, you! You know you can’t resist a bite of this sweet ass!”

It lunged at her, but suddenly there was a loud explosion from the warehouse. From behind the wolf, something solid spun through the air, growing closer and closer. A shadowed loomed over the beast and it turned its head to look. The beast’s eyes went wide as the flat surface made contact with it, but something rammed into her side and knocked her out of the path of the large chunk of concrete.

As she slid across the ground, she felt her ankle come into contact hard with something that pulled at it and her leg slammed against the ground hard. She grabbed at the ground, eventually slowing herself down and pushed up on her knee. She tried to crawl a step closer, but collapsed as pain wracked through her leg. She looked back and found the fabric torn and soaked with blood. This wasn’t a good situation to be in. In a panic, she searched for the slab of debris that had flown from the building and found her field leader scrambling beneath its weight.

“Shit!” He tried to push it off but his arm could barely hold it up. A low growl came from his side and the wolf from earlier picked itself up, injuries healing before their eyes. “Well, fuck me!” He tried to push harder, but it dug into his gut. The beast took its time approaching him with a predatorial gaze. He continued to push, but the beast put its weight on the wall that pinned him and pressed down, forcing the air out of him. It was crushing him!

“Leave him alone!” Yang hastily fired at it, but she missed. Great! They already had icing, why not add the fucking cherry on top of this disaster cake! “Stop!” She fired a few more times, but her vision had gone blurry again. What the hell!

A wave of terror rushed through her as the beast put its full weight on the concrete. It positioned itself to bite down on his head, but two bright shapes tore into it. The beast fell limply, impaled what looked like a glowing cross-shaped javelin. The bright energy glowed with an intense golden light with clean edges and dug straight into the ground, putting the beast on display. The light swelled, popping and sizzling as it ate through its flesh until it burst, erasing the creature’s very existence.

A tan man, carrying a single dagger walked out from the trees. He wore a partial cloak with a red hood draped across the top of his black tunic. Detached sleeves went halfway down his arm, tucked into a black fabric that covered his wrist and a single loop went around his middle fingers, holding them in place. He wore pleated white pants and open toed sandals that let his feet breathe, despite the lack of protection. As he approached the beast, he clasped his hands together in prayer.

“O Father,” he began. “I offer this sinful child as penance for my own sins! This soul is but a token of my love, my devotion, my appreciation for your acceptance, despite my inadequacies! Let my atonement begin with this humble Reaping of those unworthy of your love!”

Penance? Atonement? Humble… Reaping? What the hell was he talking about? The field leader groaned out in pain and Yang called out to the strange man.

“Help him,” she cried out. “Please!”

“Brother Fennec,” a large tan man joined him. With a neatly trimmed beard and a chiseled physique, he stood tall, adorned in a two-toned white and gold overcoat. The rest of his clothes were form fitting and solid black, with combat boots. “Don’t go off on your own. We aren’t here to play games.”

“Games?” The man named Fennec grinned mischievously at him. “I suppose you’re right! These filthy beasts really should know their place! Frolicking about in this way, they should be ashamed!” August grunted in pain, earning Fennec’s attention. “

“Look at the whole lot of them,” the larger man crossed his arm. “It’s a disaster here. This place is lost.”

“Father Rainhart, this place was lost years ago! Those failures in Vale know not how to uproot weeds in the proper manner! They simply need guidance!” Fennec grinned callously at the field leader. “But the humans consorting with monsters?… That is most unforgiveable!” He accented the last of his words by throwing a small knife at August’s throat. As he bled out, Yang cried out to him and his eyes met hers.

“Ugh,” Rainhart let out a sound in protest and passed a pistol to him. “Can’t you be a little more humane? At least, make it quick.”

“Quick? You want them to feel no pain?” Fennec asked with a smirk. “Trials are necessary in order to be received into the cycle rebirth, Father Rainhart. They must endure before they can be accepted!”

“No,” the Father stepped forward, nudging a soldier that moaned in pain. He put a bullet in the young man’s head. “That’s how you wind up with rage-filled souls. You need to put them down mercifully. One of these days, one of them will come back to bite you in the ass.”

“You don’t really believe that’s what The Bandersnatch is, do you?” Fennec rolled his eyes. “Someone who has come back from the grave and _isn’t_ a vampire? You do seem to have quite the imagination, my friend!” Rainhart shot a sharp look at him. “Oh my! You do!”

“It’s no one’s concern what I think,” he grumbled. “Only that we put the creature down before it becomes a problem. We can’t risk more popping up.”

“Hmmm, I do wonder though. If your Bandersnatch really is an enraged soul,” Fennec hummed to himself as he came up to Yang. “Would someone like _this_ do?”

“What are you people doing?!” Yang shouted at them. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping us?!”

“Help you? The Unfaithful?” Fennec forced a laugh. “Those who turn away from God and worship the power of unnatural beings? I think not.”

“You bastards don’t know anything!” Fennec’s eyes went wide with bloodlust as he aimed his gun at Yang. She saw him squeeze the trigger and she shut her eyes tightly. Something impacted hard into the ground next to her face, spraying dirt across her face and her ear rang out in pain. Sounds were muffled and she clung to her ear in pain. It felt like her ear drum had blown. When things began to register again, she looked at the man named Fennec.

“We don’t harm our own,” Hazel motioned to the badge on the front of her jacket.

“Xiao L-,” Fennec fought his arm away. “Those traitors?! That’s all the more reason-.“ A sharp blow was delivered across Fennec’s face, knocking him to the ground. “Who are you to question the Father you serve under as a sworn Brother? My word is final. Now get up. We have more pressing matters to deal with.”

A loud hiss let out, followed by flames the spewed out across the yard. A dark figure in a trench coat came into view, spraying the bodies of the werewolves with the flamethrower they were carrying. As they walked among the flames, Yang recognized the silhouette of the Grimm from earlier. It danced past her, taking a huge chomp out of one of the beast corpses. Blood poured from its mouth as it swallowed and it gradually looked up.

“It seems we’ve finally run into them again,” Rainhart said in a tense voice.

“Oh, joy!” Fennec put his arms out to his sides and looked up to the sky. “Let them be baptized in fire!”

“You’re getting to be offensive now,” Rainhart sighed. “Pick one religion and stick to it.”

“Does it really matter as long as I am of service and believe in those who have chosen us to do their will?” Fennec grinned. “I am their sword and I will strike down those who oppose them with haste! It does not matter if I serve one god or all of them!” He looked between the single-eyed wolf and the person with the flamethrower. “You can have your wolf! I think its friend looks more fun.”

“You truly do have a problem,” Rainhart shook his head. “Be careful. I’ve heard _her_ bark is much worse than his bite.”

“Really?” Fennec smirked. “I’m intrigued!” He ran at her and the wolf lunged at him, though the Father intercepted it and wrangled it to the ground.

The girl turned around, just in time to block Fennec’s dagger with the flamethrower. Fennec pressed on, but she resisted and he grinned again. Flames gathered beneath her feet and they surged up with a heated wind that blew the hoods from both of their heads, revealing snowy white hair pulled into a bun, held together by two Asian style hair pins.

They both kicked away from each other, though Fennec sent a small throwing dagger flying after her. It connected with the glass of the left side of the mask, revealing a pallid and clouded eye. As she landed, she tried to cover it, but resorted to simply shutting it instead.

“Ha! No way!” Fennec laughed out loud. “She’s frickin’ blind in that eye! No wonder the wolf does all the work!”

“Careful about that, Fennec!” Rainhart continued to struggle with the hulking smoke-like wolf, but it stopped moving. Its master turned in its direction and it acknowledged her. Like a dark vapor being pulled into a vacuum, it retreated from Rainhart’s and fled into the depths of her left sleeve, dying her ivory locks with its deep obsidian shade.

After a moment, she opened her eye, revealing the strangest eye Yang had ever seen. While the white of her eye was normal, the iris had been as black as her pupil. Bright red rings circled the pupil and iris individually and Yang’s eyes widened in realization. As unorthodox as this girl seemed, Yang had indeed been in the presence of some kind of Elder class being.

Yang pressed a hand to her head once more and groaned in frustration. Had this person once been a member of the Schnee Guard? They’d left a Schnee jacket on her earlier… Or had they lifted it off of one of the dead soldiers?... No, it didn’t make sense to do that much back and forth… She looked back at the fight that was going on and made a mental note to remember as much as possible. The headmaster would need to know as much of this as possible.

“Well, isn’t that a neat trick,” Fennec laughed. “It gives her a makeover!”

“So their relationship mimics and Elder and its Grimm, huh?” The Father joined Fennec’s side. “You don’t have anywhere to run, girl. Let’s make this as painless as possible and just give up. I promise, I’ll make it quick.”

“This is the path that I have chosen, Father… and you are in my way,” a tinny female voice came out from the gas mask’s diaphragm as she pulled the hood back over her head. “Of that… I am certain…”

“Heh, you sound like one of those tribe members that are running around out here,” Fennec snapped a few times as he tried to recall the name. “Uh, what are their names?”

“The Branwen tribe,” the burly Father motioned to her. “So is that how it is, huh? After spewing all that crap about staying out of things when that Witch died, you’re all finally on the move again.”

“Well, that’s fine with me!” Fennec bellowed and ran at her. “Let’s do this!”

“Very well,” Rainhart sighed and ran around to flank her.

Fennec took several swipes at her, keeping her busy with dodging him. The weight of the flamethrower had begun to get in the way, throw off her balance. A loud clank connected with the barrel of the weapon as she blocked the incoming dagger and he pressed on until she started to step back. The red of the single visible eye glowed brightly and she reared her arm back to punch him, but when she threw the punch, her arm was met with resistance.

“You aren’t going anywhere, girl.” The priest’s voice came from behind her and she looked back at him. A moment passed and he covered her mask with his large hand, but she stomped on his foot and he hissed in pain.

Shoving the flamethrower at Fennec, she quickly unzipped her coat. She wriggled her free side out of it and kicked herself off the ground. Planting her feet on Rainhart’s shoulders, she covered his face with the long coat. A spinning dark glyph appeared around her free wrist, splitting into a second glyph that materialized a pistol as it bolted forward.

“A Sigilist?!” Fennec stumbled back as he caught the flamethrower. Glancing back and forth between the girl and the weapon, he was met with that void eye and he felt his blood run cold. It was like his very being had been captured within it and he felt himself suffocating beneath her gaze. He barely registered the new gun aiming in his direction, but forced himself to react. “Shit!” She fired a single shot at the canister attached to the weapon in his arms and it exploded, causing Hazel to let go of her as he shielded himself from the flames. When the orange burst finally died down, there was no trace of her left to be found.

“That explains why she wasn’t carrying anything else on her,” the Father patted down the stray flames that had singed his coat. “They store their weapons elsewhere and summon them straight into battle. A rather efficient way to carry a wide variety of weaponry. She must be keeping her equipment with her guild.”

“Seems rather unlikely,” Fennec laughed. “Those birdbrained idiots like to stay on the move. We should go after her. She moved rather well for a blind girl.”

“In due time,” the larger man said. “She’ll flee into Vale for the time being. Any further beyond the borders and we’ll have issues on our hands. As for the blindness, I’m sure that had to due with the beast. For now, we’ll report our findings and seek guidance.”

“No,” Fennec shrieked. “We have to do this now before she escapes! She-“

“Do not question my orders, Fennec,” a bright glow surrounded the priest to emphasize his words. “She escaped from _both_ of us. _Your_ pride means nothing in the long run. We’ll need support if we wish to pursue this further and we will get it, so long as the Schnee and Oscar Pine remain in Vale, they will stand in the way of our Pilgrimage. Do not underestimate them.”

“Tch, fine,” the younger man sheathed his dagger in discontent and walked toward Yang. “What about this girl?”

“Leave her,” Rainhart hovered over Yang, with hate-filled eyes.

“But-“

“Leave her,” Hazel began to walk away. “We do not aid heretics. Let her struggle.”

“W-wait!” Yang picked herself up, despite her body feeling weak. “What do you mean? How can I be _one of you_ if I’m a _heretic_?!”

“It means that you’ve fallen from grace in the eyes of the gods,” Fennec said whimsically as he followed behind his partner. “You’ve a lot to brush up on, young Xiao Long. Don’t die! I hope to see you again!”

“Wait!” She reached out and collapsed, watching as they left. The last thing she remembered was the heat and stench of roasting flesh, following by the sound of spitting gravel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I got that there was some confusion going on! I wanted to clear some things up for you! Hopefully, this will help make sense of certain things. There is info that deliberately has not been given yet, as well. I actually believe a lot of the question you guys have will be answered within the next 5 to 10 chapters!
> 
> Order of Events, So Far:
> 
> 10 Years Ago: The lady in white injures Weiss and she is replaced with Winter, who is told she is dead. Weiss is taken away and sent to her teacher. She is renamed Snow White – the Bandersnatch. Their mother is the only one who is continues to call Winter by her actual name.  
> 8 Years Ago: Summer/Tai are killed by Ozpin. Raven has been on more frequent “missions” but suddenly vanishes. Qrow takes over as Ruby/Yang’s guardian.  
> 4 Years Ago: The Council orders Adam to kill “Weiss”. She (Winter) is left on display at the Schnee Manor and found by her mother.  
> 2 Years Ago: Winter resurfaces under the moniker of The Ice Queen, but still goes by Weiss. Very few are aware of who she actually is, and most of the Schnee refuse to call her anything else.  
> The Day Before (This Chapter): Snow is being pursued by the Puritans but helps Yang, then winds up at Junior’s. She is originally going to crash there and given a place to get cleaned up, but winds up involved in Ruby’s incident with Winter.
> 
> German to English Translations:
> 
> “Aufhören!” = Stop!  
> “Du weißt es besser!” = You know better


	8. The Headmaster's Daughter

**ooOOoo**

“So, let me get this straight,” Jaune tapped his foot anxiously against the ground and cupped his chin. “You let a stranger go after Ruby, instead of going after her yourselves?!”

“To be fair,” Nora interrupted the blonde boy’s thoughts. “Penny went looking for her first.”

“And where _is_ Penny?” For the fifth time since they’d gotten to the diner, Coco hung up her phone with a sigh. “Still not picking up?”

“It’s not even ringing anymore.” Coco’s glasses slid down the bridge of her nose and she sighed heavily. While it seemed that Ruby’s new friend had replied for her last night, they still hadn’t heard anything from the freckled red-head.

“Well, when is Ruby getting here?” Early afternoons didn’t usually sit well with the blonde. He liked to sleep in, preferably not being woken up for an emergency that no one would really fill him in on. Seriously, why did they have to make yesterday a Ladies Night?!

“She’s on her way,” Coco rested her head on her palm with a bored expression. This was unusually slow for Ruby. Normally, she’d have bolted out the door and been here within 30 seconds, not 30 minutes. She only lived about a 10 minute walk away. As if on cue, she spotted the familiar red tips of her dark-haired friend and grinned.

A waiter came up to Ruby as she was scanning over the tables and Coco assumed that he must have asked Ruby about a seat. Ruby spotted her friends and he gave her an apologetic look. Looking behind herself, she said something that resulted in the appearance of the Atlesian huntress. She stood beside Ruby, who took her arm, and they walked toward the table at a slow speed.

“Hey guys!”

“Holy crap!” Jaune shrieked as Ruby came up on him. “How the hell did you sneak up on us? I can normally smell you the minute you walk i- wow, that jacket is nice. Did you steal it?”

“Why do you always assume I steal everything, Jaune?!” Ruby whined. She wasn’t a clepto! “I can _actually_ afford to buy things!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he deadpanned at her and air quoted himself. “Who did you _borrow it from without the intent to return_?” That jacket was _way_ too nice to be in her price range.

“Does he al _ways_ whine this much?” A voice he didn’t recognize came from beside his friend and he was met with piercing blue eyes that sent a chill through his soul.

“Be nice,” Ruby nudged the girl with the arm she had interlocked with the girl’s. “You were a people person last night.” Ruby clung to her playfully. “Where’s that person at now?”

“Back at your house,” she snapped. “Where you should be in bed, with your legs propped up!”

“Oh my,” Coco snickered and the group of girls blushed at the implied innuendo. “I’m not even mad about the $10 anymore. This is priceless.”

“Ten… dollars?” Snow looked back and forth between Coco and Ruby. “Ruby, do you owe her money?” Ruby dropped her head and tried to hide herself in Snow’s arm.

“No,” her voice was muffled by her contact with Snow’s bare skin. “They’re just being pervs.”

“What was perverted about what I….” Mid-sentence, Snow stopped as the gears turned inside her head. “I will watch what I say in front of your friends from now on.”

“Good girl,” Ruby patted her head and Snow looked absolutely mortified.

“Did you just…” Ruby grinned slyly at her. “Sit down before I finish crippling you.”

“You won’t do that,” Ruby stuck her tongue out and slid in the semi circle of seats. Air escaped the cheap covering as she scooted across and she patted next to it. “Sit next to meeeee!”

“I can stand,” Snow crossed her arms. “It’s a better vantage point.”

“No,” Ruby pulled her arm and forced her next to her. “All that’s gonna’ do is make you stand _out_!” Snow paled at the accusation and Ruby grinned, pulling her into the seat with her. “You’ll make people uncomfortable and draw attention to us. Besides, no one’s gonna’ do anything in broad daylight.”

“You would be surprised…”

“Uh, excuse me,” Jaune interrupted with an irritated look. “But who the hell are you?”

“No one important.”

“Snow,” Ruby gave her the infamous puppy dog eyes she was famed for. “Please be nice. You can trust them.”

“…I just don’t see why you couldn't have them go to your house,” Snow relented and looked away. “You can barely walk…” A couple of snickers came from the two girls across the table and Velvet blushed at their suggestive giggles. “Seriously? Are your friends two year olds?”

“… yes…” That clearly wasn’t the answer Snow was expecting and she sighed.

“So at any point that you were texting them this morning, did you happen to mention what happened last night?” More giggles. “I take it that you left that out. Judging by how they were so quick to jump on me last night, I’m sure they wouldn’t be like this if you did!”

“Snow, Snow,” Ruby placed a hand on her shoulder in a calming manner. “Relax! I tell them everything!” The wild look in Snow’s eyes died down as they exchanged looks and Ruby averted her eyes. “But I _maaaay_ have left some details out.”

“Please specify.”

“Wow, that was _really_ cut and dry,” Ruby chimed.

“Ruby…”

“…Everything between the bar and my house…”

“…”

“Snow?” The Atlesian stared at her and blinked twice.

“I want mein jacket back,” Snow said in a monotone voice.

“What!” Ruby gasped in mock shock. “But you said I could wear it!”

” _Ja_ ,” Snow reached toward her jacket. “But that was when I assumed you weren’t going to be a pain in the ass.”

“Nooooo,” Ruby whined and backed away, holding the jacket possessively. “I’ll be good! I’ll explain things right!”

“Alright… I don’t understand why you want it so much,” Snow sat back up, followed by Ruby. “Inside it on the right, there’s a pocket in the lining. Would you pass me the small case in it, _Liebe_?”

“Uh, sure?” Opening the jacket, she looked for the pocket and rummaged around in it until she felt a small case. Fishing it out of the deep pocket, two long sticks came with it. Ruby stared at them for a moment before she passed the container to Snow, who sat it on the table. Ruby let the sticks fall back into her pocket and smirked to herself. “I’ve never met someone that just carries chop sticks with them. You must _really_ like Chinese food.”

“Chop… sticks?” Snow quirked a brow at her and thought for a moment. “Oh! No, I wear my hair differently out in the field, but I _suppose_ one could use them as chopsticks if they chose. They’d be dirty though, so there would be no sense in putting them in your hair though.”

Eventually, the waiter appeared with some food items for the members of the group that had arrived earlier. Upon seeing the two new additions to the group, he asked for their orders. Snow simply wanted water and Ruby was hesitant to get anything. At first, she passed, but Snow was insistent that she could pay for her if money was the problem. All the while, Ruby began to explain the previous night’s events.

When Snow’s water arrived, they watched curiously as she opened her container and popped a pill into her mouth. She closed the case and handed it back to Ruby, who looked at it curiously for a moment and put it back. Snow didn’t seem to want to go into details about it, but she felt like she could probably ask her in private.

“Soooo, Weiss Schnee is a vampire and wants to eat you now?!” Jaune asked in disbelief. They’d all been there for her funeral. “But why?”

“Apparently, my blood is special to vampires.” Ruby fidgeted nervously as she thought about it. “Which also explains why I have to go for check-ups so often. I just wonder why they never told me.”

“I’m wondering why _you_ know though,” Coco eyed Snow suspiciously. “You seem to know an awful lot of things that you don’t have clearance for.”

“Mmmm,” Snow thought it over for a moment. “Not really.”

“So you expect us to believe that you coincidentally happened to show up at the bar that Ruby went to _and_ you just happen to have a wealth of knowledge about her circumstances,” Coco said skeptically. “But you also don’t know her and this is your first time here in years?”

“Oh, I never said that.”

“Which part?” Nora laughed. “Cuz there was a lot!”

“I’m glad you find this funny,” Jaune barked. “Because the rest of us don’t… and Ruby, how can you just trust her?!” Again, Ruby fidgeted, but this time she drew closer to Snow, almost as if by instinct.

“I _also_ find myself wondering the same thing!” A half-irritated voice came into Snow’s ear, making her hair stand and her body go still.

“H-headmaster?!” The group of students all said in unison as the tall man leaned over Snow’s shoulder. With dark hair and tan, youthful skin, he looked much younger than he truly was.

“I see you managed to find your way _back_ to Miss Rose’s side!” She swallowed hard and trembled as she turned her head to confirm the new presence.

“H-how did you know I was here?”

“I didn’t,” he said with a passive-aggressive smile. “I came here for Miss Rose and happened upon you. Imagine my surprise at seeing you here right now.”

“Right, right… I get it,” Snow hung her head and sighed. “I wasn’t planning on staying in Vale long, anyway…”

“Oh no,” his eyes softened. “I trust that you wouldn’t come back unless there was a good reason.” He frowned at her. “I raised you better than this. The least you can do is say hello to your old man.”

“O-old man?!” Jaune shrieked. “Y-you’re the headmaster’s kid?!”

“That actually explains a lot,” Nora said under her breath.

“That’s right,” Oscar pulled Snow close and practically melded their faces together. Snow tried to pry away, but his grip was iron-tight and pointed at himself with his free hand. “Don’t you see the similarities?”

“We’re not similar at all,” she tried to gnaw at his arm but he was unphased. “Oscar….”

“That’s not very nice, my little Snowcakes!” He grinned with his eyes shut. “You’re gonna’ hurt daddy!”

“I’m adopted!”

“That doesn’t change anything,” he said in a more serious tone. “I still elected to take you in when no one else would. You’re very important to me.”

“Says the man who sent me away for 11 years and kept me in the dark on things I should have been among the first to know,” she growled at him. “How does that make me _important_ to you?! You just fund keeping me alive. You don’t even know what I’ve been through the last few years.”

“Your sensei keeps me informed.”

“Heh, Sensei,” Snow gave a dark laugh. “She’s no longer my handler. Did she inform you of that?”

“No, she,” Oscar’s expression went blank. “…didn’t…”

“Heh, figures,” Snow rested her hand on her chin. “I see her every once in a while to exchange information. She never asks how I’m doing though. Still, she’s there more than you are.”

“Are you…” He hesitated for a moment. “Completely on your own?”

“I have Zwei…”

“That’s not…” Oscar rubbed his sinuses. “It’s not healthy for you to rely on him so much.”

“Why not?” Snow asked coldly. “He’s the only one who hasn’t left my side. He’s _always_ there.” She hissed the words at him and waited for a response, though he didn’t have one. “Why are you here, anyway?”

“I was looking for Miss Rose.” He said quietly. “Her sister is currently in the hospital. Her injuries are rather serious, but she’s stable.”

“Wait, what?!” Ruby hopped up, but immediately sat down as the pain hit her. “What happened to Yang?! I have to go see her! I-“

“Snow, let me ask you something,” the headmaster put his arms behind himself and watched her carefully. She looked away under his gaze and shifted uncomfortably. “Were you present during last night’s raid?”

“…”

“I need you to come with me,” he said in a direct manner. “I need to have some sort of idea of what happened and if you witnessed anything then… There have been… some complications and I need as many statements as possible, preferably before Miss Xiao Long wakes up.”

“I understand…”

“I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have afterward,” he said reassuringly. “I’m sure you have a lot of them. After all, it’s been 11 years.”

“I...” Snow shifted again. “Would appreciate that… Oscar…”

“Heh, come on,” he put his hand on her head affectionately. “While we’re at it, you can also fill me in on the condition of Miss Rose’s legs. I’m sure there’s an equally interesting story there.”

“… I had a busy night,” Snow snapped and mumbled under her breath. “Here I was, thinking you were finally starting to be respectable.” She pulled a wallet from her pants’ pocket and started to take some cash out, though he stopped her.

“I’ll tell them to charge everything to my account,” he smiled insistently. “Their items, as well. So put your money away.”

“I can-“

“Take advantage of my kindness while I’m here,” he smiled once more. “I won’t always be.”

“Fine,” Snow sighed and stood up. “I’ll see you later, Ruby.”

“Wait,” Ruby pulled at her arm. “Can’t you come with me?” Snow gave her an apologetic look and shook her head slowly.

“I’m sure they can take you,” Snow looked to her friends and Coco nodded in response.

“But,” panic started to well up in Ruby’s eyes. She looked around herself and remembered the jacket. “You need your jacket, right?” Ruby started to shrug it off, slowly revealing some other marks on her arms, but Snow stopped her.

“You can hold onto it.” Snow leaned into her ear and whispered. “I’ll come back to you as soon as I can, okay?” Snow backed away to look her in the eyes. She flashed her a smile and Ruby nodded once, returning the gesture, as Snow walked away with the headmaster.

They stopped briefly for him to say something to the manager, who nodded in response. As they left, Ruby followed them with her eyes, hoping that Snow might look back. The dark haired girl followed behind the man and turned her head as they walked out, meeting Ruby’s eyes and they both smiled at each other with a small wave. Feeling satisfied, Ruby turned around and sank back into the seat. It was strange how quickly she felt herself growing attached to her, but she felt wanted. It had been a while since she’d felt something on this level with another person and she desperately wanted to explore this newfound connection they shared, but at the moment, there was something far more important.

“Soooo,” Nora’s voice broke the silence. “We’re gonna’ go see Yang, right?”


	9. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Man, the world is crazy right now! It’s been a while, so I thought I’d put out a pretty decent-sized chapter. Yang isn’t quite in her right mind and Ruby’s not taking care of herself.

Lilac eyes blinked slowly, taking in the blurry world around her. There were several dark masses around her, but their surroundings were all an even bigger mass of grayscale pseudo-shapes. She wiped at her eyes, hoping the effort would clear things up, but it did little. Suddenly, a blurry figure jumped up and made its way closer to her.

“Yang! Oh my god!” Even if she couldn’t see very well, she’d recognize that voice anywhere. She shifted, letting two arms help her adjust herself. “You’re awake! Be careful! You’re hurt!”

“Hey, Rubes,” Yang ruffled the hair on her sister’s head, before resting her forehead in the palm of her hand. “My eyes. Everything is so bright.”

“Yeah, you’ve been mostly out of it for a couple days,” she could hear the frown in her sister’s voice. “They said you were really lucky.” Luck, huh?

“What day is it?” She winced as her nerves registered the injuries all over her body. Among them, her legs hurt the worst, but she was sure she would live. Everything was still intact, which was better than having anything missing.

“Well, they said they brought you in super late Friday night,” Ruby shifted herself. “It’s Sunday afternoon.”

“S-Sunday?” Yang grunted as she tried to recall things and flashes of her memory came flooding back in an intense rush. The heat, the snarling beasts, the wolf, the Sigilist, the two priests and… “The field team leader!” Yang looked up, slowly making out the faces of her other friends. “Wh-where is…”

“Yang, sit back. You’re safe,” Coco pushed firmly against her shoulder. At first there was resistance, but Yang didn’t have the energy to fight back. “But you have stitches everywhere, and trust me; you _really_ don’t want those to open back up.”

“Wh-what?” Yang’s eyes darted around the room. Nothing was making sense and all she could think of was the sense of urgency she felt around her. It wasn’t safe here! “No, I need to… Everyone’s in danger…”

“Yang, you’re in the hospital,” Ruby said softly. “You’re back in Vale.”

“What… no…” Yang’s face twisted in confusion. “I… How?”

“Hey, can we get a nurse in here?” Jaune called out the door. He’d had his fair share of concussions and she was lapsing into confusion. He looked at his dazed friend and tried to help her make sense of things. “Yang, all the survivors were brought to this hospital.”

“S-survivors?” The blonde girl slowly registered his words and covered her mouth. “No, I… I went back, but I couldn’t save anyone… and those guys…” She vividly recalled the priest and his acolyte as they slaughtered everyone without regard. “They… Why weren’t they… They were human too… Why…” Jaune flashed a look at Nora and Velvet, who returned his worried look.

“Yang,” Jaune started carefully. “Humans were responsible?”

If he had to be honest, he found that hard to believe. He’d seen images of the aftermath and it was a horrifying sight. Each picture painted a grisly canvas of bodies burnt to a flaky crisp and mangled limbs were strewn about. He had honestly thought that a member of the Fire Empress’ coven had taken one of their infamous “ _leisurely strolls”_ through the operation site, but as horrendous as it was, this was tame for them… and Yang was saying humans were responsible for this?

“I…” Yang buried her head in her hands. “Yes… no! No, it was Werebeasts at first, but then… The person in the gas mask… with the strange wolf… and the two priests… Rrrrrrgh,” she groaned as she tried to make sense of what she could remember. “Why did they do that, Jaune?! They killed him!... And then they said that I was one of them!... I’m not like that!”

“Yang,” Ruby hugged her, but Yang tried to squirm away. “Please, Yang!”

“No, Ruby,” Yang fell from the bed, bringing the IV down with her. “I have to… I can’t be…” Two large men came barreling into the room and lifted Yang up. “No, stop! I have to get back to...” They pinned her to the bed and administered a shot to her arm. After a moment, the world began to feel hazy and she felt herself drifting back to sleep. She caught silver eyes with tears rolling down them and felt a twinge of regret… Huh, strange… As she drifted off, she noticed Ruby was wearing something unusual for her.

“Ru…by… Where did you get…” Even as dark as it had been, she’d recognize it anywhere… “That Sigilist’s… jacket…?”

**ooOOoo**

Ruby paced back and forth in the hospital lobby. After Yang’s meltdown, the entire group had been asked to leave until she was more stable. It would be several hours before Yang would wake up again, but this wasn’t the first time Yang had woken up and had a breakdown. Though it wasn’t as bad as the first time, she was still at a point where they wouldn’t allow her to leave. She’d reopened her stitches both times and walking was out of the question for now, but it was honestly best for her to be here, where the doctors knew how to take care of her.

When Ruby had gotten to the hospital, she had been informed that Yang was among a handful of survivors. From what the officers onsite had said, the bodies that had been found ranged from being torn apart by Werebeasts to well-trained bullets, knife wounds, and charred remains… But what Ruby had found most disturbing was the presence of two distinct types of patterns of marksmanship.

While usually precise in aim, most Hunters used automatic weapons. In order to provide enough power to pierce Werebeast skin, they packed a little more punch than standard civilian weapons, so the groupings in their shots were farther apart than their civilian counterparts. These observations were fairly standard, but it was the single shots that concerned her. Yang was the only one in her outfit that used a pistol, which had been used to deliver shots the heads of several Hunters and they were searching for a human Hunter that had turned on their team… A description that they believed Yang could fit perfectly, and with her current state of mind, she wasn’t able to defend herself. Why would they think Yang could do something like this? Yang only harbored ill feelings toward Freaks, namely those that were enemies of humans. Unlike some of the more twisted Hunters, she still recognized that there was a difference between the good ones and the bad.

After some discussion, Ruby had finally managed to convince the investigators that it couldn’t be Yang. Based on the ammo that her Desert Eagle was equipped with, human skulls would have been completely obliterated. Being Ironwood’s pupil, Ruby’s evaluation would have normally been enough, but her relationship with Yang made them suspicious. The officers had been ordered to remain on duty while they awaited Ironwood’s investigation… That was until just now. The two Huntsmen that had been stationed outside her room came down the elevator and one smiled at Ruby.

“Good news, Rose!” He chirped happily as he approached her. “Your sister’s been cleared! Turns out there was a witness. The doctors are gonna’ take real good care of her and then she’ll be allowed to go home!”

“Really?” Ruby wiped at the tears in her eyes. She’d been so scared when she had heard they suspected Yang of turning against her unit. Yang had nothing but love for Huntsman. It was all she ever wanted to be. She wanted revenge for everything that had been taken from them, and the higher she climbed, the more likely she was to get it. It was just that… Raven Branwen being Yang’s mom put a bad taste in people’s mouths. It made it so difficult for Yang to get proper recognition and she had to work twice as hard as anyone else to get where she was… and Yang had finally found her place with the group she’d been working with recently.

“Yeah,” he patted Ruby’s head. “I didn’t know what to think when I heard they suspected Xiao Long. With your history, you two are the last ones I’d peg for this kind of thing.” He rubbed the back of his own head. Well, at least someone recognized Yang wasn’t that bad. “They’re still probably going to have questions about who did this though.”

“I’m sure Yang will answer everything when she’s feeling better!” Ruby said emphatically. “I know she will!”

“It might be a while before she can go home though.”

“As long as she’s okay,” the teen furrowed her brow with a nod.

“Are you gonna’ stick around for a while?” He asked sheepishly. “You’ve been here about as long as I have. I could buy us some coffee, maybe?” The guard started to blush more and more as he spoke to her.

“Oh! Um,” Ruby laughed nervously and looked to her friends for help. Unfortunately, all she was greeted with were the sly smiles of Nora and Coco.

“Or maybe breakfast?” He asked hopefully.

“I… I really shouldn’t.”

“It’s no trouble! Really!”

Fidgeting nervously, Ruby’s eyes darted across the room, first pleading with her friends for help. Instead, the red-head and brunette made taunting faces at her, while Velvet slapped at Coco. Likely, the rabbit-girl was scolding her for not coming to Ruby’s rescue and Ruby grumbled to herself mentally. She really wasn’t good at dealing with persistent guys and she didn’t want to be mean about it… If only Yang weren’t hospitalized. She’d definitely do the big sister thing and come to her rescue! The silver-eyed girl took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and repeated a mental mantra to herself: “WWYD – What Would Yang Do?”…

The first thing to come to her mind was an image of her sister pummeling the guy into a million pieces and getting dragged away by security… Scratch that… WWYD was a terrible idea. In fact, literally anything that went the opposite direction of Yang’s line of thinking would be a better plan, sooo… What _Wouldn’t_ Yang Do?

KZZZT

The hydraulics of the Personnel Only doors hissed as they opened and two people entered the lobby. She might not have normally paid them any mind, but the female’s dark hair was what drew Ruby in. The tight braid wasn’t anything particularly special, but it was the purple flower petals that were intricately woven into them that caught her eye. As they walked across the room, Ruby’s eyes trailed behind them and the familiar scent of expensive coffee wafted across the room. She peaked just past the persistent guard who still awaited an answer and that was when she recognized them – Oscar and Snow.

Snow was dressed quite differently from the last time she’d seen her, and if Ruby had to be honest, she was totally rocking the more masculine business look. The dark haired teen wore a white buttoned down shirt with a black jacket, whose sleeves had been rolled up to just above her elbows. A strap came from the inside of the sleeves, buttoning over the rolls and holding them in place to keep them from unrolling. As Oscar spoke to the nurse at the front desk, Snow turned around, revealing a tie and suspenders that connected to the black pants she wore.

For a moment, their eyes met and Ruby felt a sense of excitement and safety come over her… However, that changed when Snow’s eyes shifted to the persistent guard and her expression morphed into something unreadable. Snow briefly touched Oscar and said something to him that caused him to look at Ruby with an exhausted look. Adjusting her tie, she made one last comment as she walked away from him and he gave her a defeated look as she left him and made her way to Ruby.

“Uh, so…” The guard’s voice brought her back to reality. “That breakfast?”

“Oh, um, I…

“Ruby?”

“Ah, Snow!” Excited to both see Snow and be rescued from her current dilemma, Ruby leapt at Snow, who wrapped her in an equally tight embrace. It was amazing just how much more secure she felt being this close to her.

“Did you miss me?” Snow giggled a little, brushing her hand across her leather jacket for emphasis and Ruby blushed. “You haven’t taken it off the whole time, have you?”

“I…” Ruby looked away and spoke sheepishly. “I feel safe with it on, okay?!”

“That’s alright,” Snow lowered her head and rested her forehead on Ruby’s. “I’m glad I make you feel that way.”

“Oh…” The guard’s voice interrupted their reunion. “You’re one of _those_ people...”

“Can I help you?” Snow glared daggers in his direction and he instantly shrank. “I’m sure you have some sort of menial task you could be performing somewhere else.”

“Even better,” he let out a low growl to himself. “ _You’re_ one of those self-entitled Elites…” Snow lifted a brow cockily and Ruby shivered as she felt one of her hands slide down the small of her back, coming to a resting point on her hip. She parted herself from Ruby enough to turn to face him, and with a slight jerk, pulled Ruby possessively close.

“Even if I were, you still don’t seem to know you where you sit in the food chain,” Snow chuckled to herself, goading him on. At first, he sneered at her, but a dangerous presence began to emanate from her and he backed down. “Nothing?...” He remained silent and backed away. “Learn your place before you start grasping for things far beyond your own reach. Run back to your pack, little puppy.”

Rolling his eyes at her, he growled and stormed off. Snow smirked to herself and pushed a little at Ruby’s back, suggesting she wanted to move locations. Ruby pursed her lips as Snow led her over to her group of friends and voiced a bit of protest.

“That was kinda’ mean, Snow,” Ruby pouted. Sure, she wanted him to leave her alone, but she could have been a little nicer.

“He was being rude and you looked uncomfortable,” Snow stated simply. “You should be more proactive in standing your ground. You have this… _innocent_ quality that makes you seem like an easy target.”

“So is that what you’ve been doing?” Jaune approached them with a sneer. “Manipulating her because she’s _easy_?”

“ _Natürlich_ … yet another source of irritation,” Snow mumbled under her breath and Ruby nudged her with a frowned. “That’s the last thing I’d do. I have her best interest in mind.”

“Really?” He pressed on. “Because you barely know her and you’re acting like you own her!”

“How da-“

“Jaune, stop!... You too, Snow!” Ruby stepped in between them to separate them. “Look, I know you two don’t like each other, but that’s just because you got off on the wrong foot!” She looked between the two of them as she spoke, landing on Jaune. “Just try to get along, okay?”

“Fine.” The blonde looked away and grumbled to himself, crossing his arms.

“Snow?” She looked at her with expectant eyes and the Outsider sighed, nodding in compliance. “Good!... So… why did you come here?”

“Oh,” Snow’s eyes widened in surprise before she tried to look anywhere but Ruby or her friends. “I, uh, had business with… Oscar… and for… you…”

“Huh?”

“Ugh, you’re really gonna’ make me say this,” Snow put her palm to her forehead and scratched her fingers against her scalp. “I’m here to take you home.”

“I want to stay with Yang,” Ruby said firmly.

“Ruby hasn’t left Yang’s side the entire time,” Velvet added.

“That’s my point,” Snow nodded. “It’s time for you to go home.”

“But Yang needs me!” Ruby insisted. “If something happens- Ow!!!” Ruby yelped, recoiling from the hard flick Snow delivered to her forehead. “What was that for?!”

“You’re still the same,” Snow sighed and mumbled under her breath.

“Huh? What does _that_ me-“. The crimsonette recoiled at the feeling of synthetic leather against her cheek. “Gloves again…” Grumbling to herself, Ruby eyed them with distaste. Normally, she’d take the five minutes to geek out over what brand and durability, but they were denying her the contact she wanted… and Snow had kept them off when they were alone…

“It’s preferable this way, but I’ll humor you later,” Snow tilted her face so that their eyes met and Ruby briefly wondered if Snow could read her mind. “When you stop being grumpy.” Ruby huffed to herself and glared at her in discontent. “Xiao Long will be fine here. Oscar is making sure she has the best care available. I understand that you want to stay by her side, but you’re stressed and not resting.”

“Good luck,” Nora exhaled loudly. “We’ve been trying this entire time to get her to just step outside for some fresh air. This is _literally_ the first time she’s left the room.”

“I understand that you’ve been here without a proper meal,” Snow took Ruby’s hand and spoke softly. “You need to go home and get some rest. I’ll even bring you back, but letting yourself go like this won’t help Xiao Long. If anything, it will make her feel worse. No one likes to see their loved ones in pain. You know that, right?”

“I… don’t want to go home…”

“That’s okay,” Snow squeezed her hand gently and smiled. “You can stay with me.”

“No way!” Jaune stepped in again. “There’s no way Ruby’s staying in some run down pla- eeep!” He jumped behind Velvet when the Outsider glared at him. It seemed she was doing an awful lot of that today.

“Nice, Jaune. Way to use Velvet as a shield,” Coco said flatly from the chair she had gotten comfortable in. “As much as I hate to, I kind of agree with Wolf Boy, over here. Junior’s is hardly the kind of place Ruby should be holed up in.”

“Who said anything about Junior’s?” Snow looked between everyone in genuine confusion. “I said _my_ place.”

“But you said you were staying in a room at Junior’s,” Ruby gave her an equally puzzled expression.

“To avoid going home,” Snow laughed to herself. “I thought that you understood that my Vale home is with Oscar. You’ve been there before, no?”

“Eh?!” Snow poked at her forehead and Ruby winced.

“See, if you were taking care of yourself, you’d be able to think more clearly.”

“It slipped my mind,” Ruby huffed and scolded herself mentally. So much had happened the last few days that she kind of forgot that Snow was the headmaster’s _daughter_ , so to speak.

“That’s alright, _Liebe_ ,” Snow smirked.

“Snow,” another voice joined the conversation.

“Oscar.”

“I really wish you’d stop calling me by my name,” the headmaster pouted as he joined them.

“Headmaster.” There was a bit of mischief in her voice, though her face did not mirror her tone.

“That’s not what I meant,” he stared at her flatly, earning a smirk from her. “Did everything turn out alright?”

“Well enough,” Snow answered.

“I see… Miss Rose,” he turned his attention to the worn out teenager. “I heard about Miss Xiao Long’s incident earlier. It saddens me to hear that she’s going through such a rough time, but she has indeed been cleared of all suspicion. An exchange between her and the attackers had been overheard by another survivor. Unfortunately, he went into cardiac arrest during his interview and they were unable to finish taking his statements.”

“What ever happened to _innocent until proven guilty_?” Nora spat out.

“Miss Valkyrie, I admit that this situation has not been handled the best, but please don’t think that she will be pursued any further on this matter. I’ve instructed them to ensure that her health is our primary focus. While I do have some questions of my own, they are more about who the attackers were, rather than incriminating her for a crime she obviously did not commit. That they even reached that conclusion astounds me.”

“Sir, I heard that someone came forward to clear Yang,” Jaune lead into his question. “Who was it?”

“While I don’t mind answering the question,” the headmaster shifted uncomfortably. “They aren’t exactly someone who is well-received in the public’s eye.”

“Sir?”

“Headmaster,” Ruby spoke up. “I’d like to thank them if I can.” His eyes softened at her and he offered a genuine smile.

“I’m sure they already know,” his eyes briefly shifted focus. “You all know them as the Bandersnatch.”

“A… Grimm?”

“I’m afraid their existence is… _much_ more complicated than that,” he looked away before clasping his hands together. “Anyway, Miss Rose, I’m sure that Snow has informed you of the change to your accommodations. I will leave things up to the two of you, but I fear that some changes will have to be made regarding the both of you. As much as I’d like to discuss things with you further, I’m afraid that my presence has been requested elsewhere.”

“That’s fine,” Snow replied. “I planned to help Ruby get her things and ensure she gets some rest.”

“I see,” he studied her for a moment. “I trust that this is _all_ that you have on the agenda for this evening.”

“Well yes,” Snow stared at him blankly. “What else would I have in mind?”

“I’ll let you figure that out on your own,” he smirked devilishly before he headed to the door. “Do take care, Miss Rose… and try to keep my little Snowstorm out of trouble.”

“Out of- she’s the one that gets into trouble!” Snow growled, rushing after him and following him through the door. “And stop with these awful nicknames! Hey! Don’t ignore me!”

“Wow, she seemed like such a badass,” Nora commented as the group casually followed the two out of the hospital. “But then _that_ totally happened.” The red-head motioned toward the teenager bickering with the adult. Honestly, the pair gave off an impression more like that of an older brother teasing his sister than anything.

“Really, he’s so obnoxious,” Snow griped to herself as she returned to Ruby’s side. “I’m not going to go on some night-escapade and leave Ruby all alone.”

“I think that was his point,” Nora pointed out with a suggestive grin. “The _not leaving her alone_ part.”

“Nora!” Ruby shouted. “I swear to _God_!”

“Okay, okay!” Nora nudged her slightly. “But don’t leave me in the dark if there’s some hot action going on!”

“Seriously!”

“It’s been a while since I’ve had anything like that,” Snow looked up in thought as she spoke and Nora smiled stupidly. This was going even better than she thought. “In fact, there was this one vampire-“

“Oh, hot action with a vampire, you say?” Nora grinned and Ruby glared at her sharply. “Like hot and sweaty?”

“Horribly,” Snow relented. “It was exhausting.”

“Pfffft,” Nora muffled her laughter. “Would you say it went on for a while?”

“Hours!” Snow exclaimed. “Then she managed to slip out from my grasp!”

“Ah, the one that got away!” Nora snapped.

“Hardly,” the dark-haired girl huffed. That damn piress had pulled one over on her so quickly, it was almost hilarious… if she hadn’t previously slaughtered most of the inhabitants of the town that had come to her for protection. “I managed to drag her out of whatever hole she had snaked herself into and finished her off with my bare hands! You have _no_ idea just how disgusting that was!”

“Snow…” Ruby nudged her and whispered into the Outsider’s ear. As she spoke, Snow’s eyes widened and she turned red. She backed away from Ruby with a horrified expression and looked back and forth between the two girls.

“That’s not what I-“

“She knows,” Ruby patted Snow’s back and Nora fell to ground barely able to take in air. “Trust me. She knows.”

“That was _so_ easy!!!” Nora finally hacked out. “And Jaune’s worried about her taking advantage of you!”

“Haaah haaaah,” Ruby said sarcastically, offering her a hand up.

“Well, just look on the bright side,” Nora took her hand, grinning as she got up. “At least, now you know why she wears the gloves!”

“Don’t you have something to do?” Ruby suggested.

“Noooo!”

“Actually,” Coco slammed a hand down on Nora’s shoulder, earning a look from her. “She does. We all do.”

“Did you get some kind of mission?”

“Sort of,” Coco mumbled. “It’s more of a group interest. We’d invite you, but you’ve got a lot going on. We’ll be sure to clue you in on everything as soon as things calm down though! Just focus on you and Yang, for now.”

“O-okay,” Ruby hesitated. It still didn’t sit right with her about leaving Yang all alone. A gentle squeeze came across her shoulders and she turned to find Snow behind her.

The girls hugged and said goodbye to each other before they went their separate ways, but of course, Coco had to whisper something in her ear that kept worming its way to the front of her mind every few minutes. Why were they teasing her so badly about Snow? Half the time, it seemed like they didn’t like her; and the other half, they seemed supportive of Ruby’s not-so-maybe-definitely crush. She sighed heavily and hoped that things would start to make more sense soon.

“Is everything alright?” Snow looked at her earnestly and Ruby’s heartbeat escalated.

“Uh, y-yeah,” she blushed and tried to keep looking forward. Maybe it was that she was just tired, but every time she looked at her, Snow just kept looking better and better. Damn, teenage hormones! This wasn’t the time for this!!!

“Alright,” Snow smiled at her. “You know, it’s alright to worry, but your sister will recover and I’ll keep you safe in the meantime.”

“In the… meantime?...” Ruby felt herself go pale. Did that mean she would go away once this was all done? This was just a temporary thing and then life would go back to way it was before? Yang would return home for what? A couple weeks until she was ready to be back out in the field again and then Ruby would go back to being pulled out of class, just to have terrible things done to her and return home to an empty house.

“Ruby.” Gloved fingers intertwined themselves with her own and gave her a reassuring squeeze. Her eyes were so gentle with the way looked at her and Ruby wondered if there were others that she had ever looked at the same way. “We’re here.”

“Ah!” Ruby yanked her hand back in surprise. “S-sorry! I’ll go open it up!” Grimacing to herself, she rushed to put the codes in and get inside, earning a small smile from Snow. Somehow, the older girl had found this to be one of her more endearing qualities.

As they entered the home, Ruby rushed around the house, trying to clean up what little mess was there – dishes and the like. It only took a few minutes. Eventually, she wound up in her room and Snow followed her.

“Um, you can sit on the bed while you wait,” Ruby ran around exhaustedly as she tried to rush through her things. “Hairbrush, socks, underwear, bras, clothes… oh! My charger! Annnnd…”

“Ruby!” She bumped into Snow as she swung around in a panic. The other girl put her hands on her shoulders and held her in place. “Slow down. Look at me.” A gloved hand lifted her chin so that their eyes met again. Snow gently pressed her forehead to Ruby’s and closed her eyes. “Breathe. You don’t have to rush. Take your time.”

“O…okay…” Ruby closed her eyes and breathed in to let her thoughts catch up with the rest of her body.

“What do you need?”

“I just need,” she looked around for a second. “To grab a few changes of clothes… and change what I’m wearing.”

“Save that for when we get to Oscar’s,” Snow let her hands fall to her sides, tracing Ruby’s arms on the way down. Ruby shivered before she turned around and started packing things more slowly. She took the time go back and forth between the bathroom and her room, grabbing the essentials and then she was ready. There was just one last thing.

“Um,” Ruby fidgeted and started to remove the jacket. “I need to give this back to you.”

“It’s fi-.“

“No!” Ruby held the jacket out to her, surprising them both with her shout. “Wh-what I mean is, you lent it to me while you were gone a-and now you’re with me again. S-so, I wanted you to have it back. I’m sorry I had it so long.”

Snow took it from her hands, delicately and looked back and forth between them with a smile. As Ruby looked through her closet one last time, Snow looked over her. She really did have a good figure and her curves spurned something within her, but she pushed that away. It wasn’t really the time to explore those kinds of thoughts. Snow wasn’t blind to the attraction between them. It just… things couldn’t happen with the way they were going. She absolutely refused to let this be some sort of Rescue Romance that would only lead to regret.

“Found it!” Snow smirked as some of Ruby’s cheerfulness returned to her. Facing her back to Snow, the crimson-tipped girl draped a deep red cloth around her shoulders and fumbled around with the front. “Man!... Why is this always so difficult!... Darn!” Snow chuckled to herself before she decided to see what the problem was.

“Ruby,” Snow pushed gently and turned her to face her. “Let me help.”

“It’s my mother’s brooch…” Snow focused on the silver object in her hands. She’d seen it many times in the past, pinned to the Rose matron’s own outer garments. The pin had been passed down the family for generations and had ultimately landed in Ruby’s hands.

 _“That eye of yours looks terrible.”_ A flash of white and a cold smirk tore through Snow’s memories, but she shook it away quickly. It wasn’t a voice she wanted to recall any time soon. At least, not the way she wanted to remember it…

“Snow?”

“Mmm, I’m okay,” she fastened it together through the wool. “There you go! All done!”

“Thanks!” Ruby chirped and grabbed her bag. “I always have such a hard time getting it on, but I love wearing it.”

“It’s very you,” Snow commented genuinely. It really did. It looked like it belonged on her, just as it had Summer.

Though Snow had wanted to walk, Ruby pouted until she inevitably agreed to take the dreaded Swyft that Ruby was so dead set on. After a relatively short ride, filled with ‘I told you so’s and ‘See! So much faster’s, they finally arrived at the gate to Oscar’s mansion. Was it really necessary to have such a large home? Still, Ruby always looked at it with such wonder as they approached it and the Swyft driver gave a loud whistle. 

“You girls must really be something to live in a place like this!”

“Not really,” Snow looked at the luxury home with an indifferent expression. “This is fairly small…”

“S-small?!” Ruby looked at her in disbelief.

“Compared to my home before Oscar, yes,” Snow said half-heartedly. “This is small.”

“So it’s a downgrade for you…” Snow studied her for a moment before she answered.

“In terms of size, yes,” Snow stated simply as she got out of the car and walked around to Ruby’s, opening the door and offering her hand.

“How chivalrous!” With a smirk, Ruby took her hand and got out of the car.

“Oh, hush!” Snow tutted at her before she continued speaking. “As for the quality of my life, the time I’ve spent here has always been a vast improvement. I’m not ungrateful, Ruby. I just don’t think that a person should flaunt their value to society through materialistic means when others are suffering... This is an unnecessary waste of land that could otherwise be used for additional housing and-”

“Pffft!”

“Why are you laughing?” Snow unlocked the door to the mansion and waited for Ruby.

“Haha, no, it’s just that I’m teasing you and you’re taking it so seriously!” She grinned as she walked through the door and took in the sights. “Wow! I always forget how much bigger this place is inside.”

“Heh,” Snow smirked as she took the lead. “You’re so easily amused.”

“Ah, Young Miss, you’ve returned!” A short man with a mustache that hid his mouth hurried to welcome them. The top of his head had begun to bald with his old age, but it made him look all the wiser. His look was complimented by his dark vest and a tie that contrasted the white of his dress shirt. “And with a guest!”

“Klein,” Snow smiled in acknowledgement. “You remember Ruby Rose, correct?”

“Oh yes!” He pepped up considerably. “It’s been quite some time since I last saw her within these walls! Master Pine has offered many times for her to stay with us, but she has always refused.”

“So he’s told me,” Snow handed her jacket to him. “Please treat this with care, Klein.”

“Yes Miss,” he smiled before he continued. “Why, Miss Rose, you’ve grown into such a fine young lady. I remember when you and the Young Miss would run up and down these halls! Master Pine and Miss Summer had the worst time getting you two to settle down! I’d never seen the Young Miss come so alive-”

“The… two… of us?” Ruby looked between the two of them in utter confusion. She’d been here as a child, but she didn’t remember Snow being here. Weiss had been here on occasion, but the Schnee family appeared to be closely affiliated with him. It would be no wonder if he worked with their daughter… Was Snow someone she had forgotten?

“Klein!”

“Oh, now, Young Miss,” he chuckled at Snow’s reaction. “You needn’t be embarrassed!”

“I’m not embarrassed,” Snow snapped. “You’ll upset her.”

“ _You_ , you mean,” he corrected. “You mean that I’ll upset _you_.” The two locked in a staring contest until Snow rolled her eyes and turned away. “Would you like me to show Miss Rose to her room? Master Pine had Miss Winter’s old room prepared, so that she may remain within earshot.”

“Mmm, no, Klein,” Snow hummed in thought. “Mine is large enough for the time being.”

“I see,” the butler paused as if he were thinking. “Were you displeased with the Master’s preparations?”

“No,” the dark girl set her hand on the banister of the grand staircase. “I’d just prefer that Winter’s room remain undisturbed.” Her voice hinted at sadness.

“My apologies, I did not think it would upset you,” he lamented. “I can prepare another room for Miss Rose.”

“No, it’s quite alright. Leave things as they are. Ruby deserves a nice rest. We can discuss further arrangements later.”

“Very well, Miss,” he bowed before he turned to Ruby. “Might I take your bag?”

“Oh, uh, no,” Ruby shook her head. She gave him a smile before she glanced back at Snow. “It’s just my clothes and stuff. I’ll take them with me.”

Something about Snow seemed off after the mention of Winter. Ruby recalled the name from something Snow had mumbled in her sleep, but she had thought it was something to do with the season… so _Winter_ was a person who was important to her?… She shifted as an uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach.

“Ruby,” Snow called back, her voice sounding distant. “Follow me. We’ll get you settled in.”

Crossing the entrance hall, Ruby started up the stairs and followed Snow. The staircase itself split into two separate sets of stairs that wound around to a second floor that wrapped around the walls in a ring-like fashion. The rails were an elegant white, topped with a dark, textured wood that Ruby traced as she followed her equally dark companion. As they came to a stop, Ruby could have sworn that Snow’s breath hitched and she paused for a moment.

“Snow?”

“It’s nothing,” Snow let out the air she had been holding in and pushed the door open, without looking back at Ruby.

“This is your room?!” Ruby rushed in without waiting for permission. “Holy cow! You have so much space! This is like… the whole first floor of my house if we took out all the walls! “

“Um,” Snow covered her mouth and cleared her voice as she averted her eyes, despite Ruby’s earnest look. “Yes… [_das_](https://context.reverso.net/translation/german-english/Ja%2C+das) _ist_[ _es wohl_](https://context.reverso.net/translation/german-english/es+wohl).”

“Heh heh,” Ruby grinned at her slyly.

“What?”

“You’re embarrassed,” Ruby poked at Snow, who quirked a brow at her.

“That,” Snow crossed her arms. “I am not.”

“Really?” The silver-eyed girl grinned adamantly. “I was starting to think you were talking a little too perfect today, but you switch back to German whenever you’re nervous.” Ruby stuck her tongue out and spun around in the open space of Snow’s room, falling on a plush rug in the center.

“I do not,” Snow frowned as she collapsed. “Don’t lie on the floor, you heathen!”

“But why nooooot! This is a nice,” Ruby sniffed the carpet hard. “ _CLEAN_ rug. It’s not the floor!”

“I have _no_ idea how long it’s been since that has been cleaned! It could be filled with dust and all other manner of debris,” the darker girl glared at her. “And if you insist on remaining there, you’ll find yourself sleeping there instead of my bed!”

“Wait…” Ruby shot up, bright red. “Y-your bed?” Sure, they’d already shared a bed before, but that was totally different. Ruby had been drunk and it was her own bed, her home, and she was in control. This was Snow’s home. Even if Snow hadn’t been here for a while, the room still radiated her personality.

Wide glass sliding doors opened up to a balcony with a view over the forestscape a very dedicated landscaper had planted and the room was fashioned with contrasting lights and darks. The floor was a bright and glossy marble with dark carpeting wherever there was furniture, such as the L-shaped sofa and the glass table that sat in front of it. Dark bookcases lined the walls, meshing in with the dark woods that lined the bottom half of the walls, before the top half became giant slabs of gray shale. Actually, it didn’t really seem like a young person’s room at all.

“Where else did you think you would sleep?” Snow’s voice came from directly behind her, much closer than it had previously been.

“Ah!” Ruby turned around, finding herself within inches of her. With a clink, Ruby felt her shawl slide away from her. A silver glint caught her eye and she saw her mother’s brooch heavily contrasted against Snow’s gloves.

“You should wash yourself,” Snow spoke softly as she lay the piece of clothing on a table in the center of her room. She sat the brooch on top of it with care and turned back to Ruby. “Oscar will have returned and dinner should be ready by then. I know that you are tired, but I’d like you to eat something.”

“O-okay,” Ruby rubbed her arms awkwardly. Without her shawl, she felt extremely out of place – even moreso than when she had first walked in. Eventually, her eyes drifted back over to Snow, who gave her a small smile.

“Ruby,” the darker girl spoke softly, but she had begun to stare off again. “Are you alright?”

“…yes…” She rubbed her arms again to reassure herself. Her mind was starting to fixate on little things, though she decided that if she were under less stress, they’d probably still matter. She just would have overlooked them any other time. That was about the only positive thing when she felt like this and something was really gnawing at her that she’d tried to push into the back of her mind.

Fingers brushed gently across her arms and Ruby’s eyes trailed down to them. Now that they were alone, Snow had taken her gloves, just like she had promised earlier. She had this air about her that was always the same, but when they were alone, she felt less… guarded? Why was she like this with her?

_“I remember when you and the Young Miss would run up and down these halls!”_

“Snow…”

“Yes, Ruby?”

“Why are you so close to me?…” Snow’s fingers went stiff and she withdrew them.

“I… apologize,” Snow tried to hide the hurt in her voice. “With everything going on, I didn’t realize I was making you uncomfortable. You… need space.”

“What? No!” Ruby’s sudden outburst surprised her and Ruby covered her mouth. “S-sorry! I-I just didn’t mean it like that! You’re not being overbearing or anything!” Snow’s shoulders relaxed, making her relief more than obvious. “I just wanted to know why?”

“You’re important,” Snow nodded to herself. “You must be protected at all costs.”

“Is that really it?” Ruby looked at her flatly. Whatever the truth was, Snow was doing an awful job of convincing her of this. She’d heard of people charming others to get what they wanted; and sure, maybe she’d believe that if Snow were always the way she was with the guard. It was just that Snow wasn’t that kind of person at all when they were alone. If the others saw this, surely they’d understand. “I know you think that I’m not paying attention because of everything, but I did hear Klein earlier… What did you mean at the bar when you said that it wasn’t like what Coco thought? You said that I’d remember.”

“It,” Snow fidgeted uncomfortably. “It doesn’t really matter that much.”

“We were friends,” Ruby stated adamantly. “That’s what Klein made it sound like… but I don’t remember you.”

“And that’s a good thing!” Snow balled her fists defensively. “It’s better that you don’t! I want you to see me as I am now, not how pathetic I was back then. I was supposed to protect you – to protect both of you… but I wasn’t enough so they sent away… Now that I’m back, I won’t let anything like that happen again… so just… please… don’t ask me about who I was… Just accept who I am.”

“Snow, I…” Ruby reached out toward her, but stopped herself. Seeing Snow look so insecure was new to Ruby. In every other encounter they’d had, Snow had been brimming with self-confidence and was very outspoken, but it shouldn’t have surprised Ruby to find out that her dark knight had her own insecurities. “My mom always said that the past makes us stronger. If we don’t make mistakes, we can’t learn from them… so being bad can be… kind of good?... Later on?...”

“Not in my case,” Snow gave her a bitter smile. “I did things that I can’t take back… and I hurt people that I loved… I can’t be forgiven for the choice that I made.”

“Snow,” Ruby took Snow’s hand and intertwined their fingers. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’ll listen. Whatever I can do to help! I want to be useful to you.”

“Use…ful?” Ruby nodded in response to her.

“I thought it was strange how attached you seemed to me, but there’s a reason for it,” Ruby’s sudden burst of energy caught her off-guard. “Listening, fixing your weapons, if you just need a distraction - I can do it all!”

At first, Snow said nothing and chose to study Ruby instead. Ruby traced along her fingers with her thumb and slowly pulled them away, reaching toward Snow’s waistline instead. The Atlesian girl shivered beneath her fingers as they danced across the fabric of her shirt. When Snow didn’t push her away, Ruby stepped into her and slid her arms around her waist in a loose hold.

“Just… see me…” Snow embraced her as if she were trying to meld them together and Ruby returned the gesture with equal strength.

“I want more than that,” Ruby spoke softly into her and took a deep breath. She was quickly coming to love how safe and secure this scent made her feel. Snow nuzzled into her, clearly doing the same thing she was. It was actually really cute to think that the way she smelled also made someone else feel just as peaceful as they made her feel… Wait… the way she… OH MY GOD!!! Ruby pushed back in a panic. “Don’t do that!”

“Uh?” Snow looked at her with confusion.

“Oh my God,” Ruby panicked, grabbing her head and squatting around back and forth. “I smell awful! I haven’t even taken a shower and-“

“Pffft!”

“This isn’t funny!” Ruby snapped. “I don’t wanna’ gross you out! Then you’ll just think I always smell bad and-”

“And here I was thinking that I’d already done something wrong,” Snow rolled her eyes and took her hands in her own. She took a few steps backwards pulling Ruby along, in the direction of a door in the corner of her room. “Follow me.”

“You have a full bathroom in your room?!” Ruby gawked at the huge marble-themed bathroom.

“Yes,” Snow chuckled to herself. “You can wash yourself in here anytime you’d like. Um, do you need help figuring anything out?” Ruby shook her head quickly and Snow smirked mischievously. “Oh, that’s right. _You fix weapons._ You should be able to figure out how to operate a shower, riiiight?”

“Duh!” Ruby walked over to the shower, noting that the glass door was completely transparent and blushed to herself. If someone were to walk in, the only coverage she would have would be whatever steam from the shower fogged it up. Another interesting feature was that it was a walk-in with a drain at the center. There was nowhere to sit, nor was there a tub to hold water. She guessed baths weren’t an option here.

“You don’t take baths?”

“Hm?” Snow had briefly left the room and returned with a few towels, cloths, and Ruby’s bag. “Oh, there’s no need.”

“So, you never just relax in water?” Snow blinked at her question a few times.

“Why would I want to sit in my own filth? If the point is to relax, why not wash yourself first and then get into the Jacuzzi on the balcony?” The older girl tilted her head in confusion. “That makes a lot more sense.”

“…You know, for someone who seems to dislike wealth,” Ruby grinned playfully as she opened the shower door to inspect the shower. “You really are a spoiled rich kid at heart…”

“Am I?” Snow’s voice whispered huskily into her ear, causing Ruby to spin around and lose her balance. “Careful.”

“Uh, this is… awkward,” Ruby said, referring to how she was leaned back in Snow’s arms.

“Is it now?” Ruby gulped to herself as Snow drew closer. “You know what’s even more awkward?” Ruby whispered a quiet ‘No’ to herself and Snow smiled devilishly. “You still haven’t figured out how this shower works.”

“Well,” Ruby looked around, confused by the layout. There were three stainless steel dials embedded in the stone wall, but there wasn’t a shower head or nozzle anywhere. The closest looking thing was what looked like water jets placed in the walls themselves. “Huh…”

“You can ask for help, you kno~ow,” Snow sang out and Ruby glared at her playfully. “What are you doing?”

“I dunnooo,” Ruby reached toward the knobs.

“Ruby Rose, if you don’t stop, I will drop you!”

“You will?” Ruby gasped playfully and turned a knob, expecting the jets to blast them with water. Instead, water rained down on them from the ceiling, pouring like a waterfall and completely soaked both of them. “Uh,” Ruby nervously looked back to Snow and was greeted with a neutral look. “Whoops?”

“Haaaah…” With a sigh, Snow reached over to the handle and turned it off without looking away from her. Ruby didn’t know what it was, but something about seeing the droplets of water trickling down her face made her heart race.

“You’re so pretty…” Ruby whispered to herself without realizing she’d voiced her thought.

“Young Miss, the Master has returned home and requests your presence!”

“Uh, y-yes!” Snow called, pulling Ruby up and backing away from her guiltily. “Thank you, Klein! I’ll be along momentarily.”

“Yes, Miss!”

“You should get washed up,” Snow made her way to the door. “I’ll see you at dinner…” Snow closed the door behind her and covered her mouth. What was she doing?

“Is everything alright, Young Miss?” The butler was still in the room, eyeing her saturated appearance. “You look… out of sorts.”

“Um yes,” she looked away. “Mistakes were made teaching her how to operate the shower.”

“Ah, but you enjoyed yourself, I take it?” He smiled knowingly. “You seem more smitten with her than when you were children.”

“I,” Snow accepted a towel from him and placed it over her head, rubbing it around. “I am, but it’s impossible as it is now. She’s at the age where things change for Roses… What if she’s like her mother?... Or worse… what if I’m just like mine?!”

“Thoughts like those certainly didn’t stop your master or your mother from pursuing Miss Summer,” Klein smirked at her, bringing out a hanger with an exact replica of her current outfit on it. He laid it on her bed and turned around as she changed. “Though only one got what they wanted in the end, Young Miss.”

“Klein,” Snow spoke thoughtfully. “You served my mother for years, but you’ve been my attendant since I was born. Summer, Oscar, the master, Mom, even Ruby and the rest of Team STRQ – you call them all by their names. Why do you call me _Young Miss_ instead of mine?”

“Pardon me,” he cleared his throat. “It may be selfish on my behalf, but because I have been with you that long, you will always my lovely Young Miss. I cannot in good conscience call you by any other name than the one you were born with, and so, I find that Young Miss is an agreeable title between the both of us.”

“Klein, you can turn around now,” Snow looked at him sadly as he faced her. “You know that I’ll never be able to use that name again, right? My sister has run my name through the mud and I agreed to give it up when I chose this path. Snow White is who I am now. In the very least, please try.”

“I… will try, Miss Sch-…”

“Klein…”

“Miss,” he sighed. “Miss White… Master Pine is waiting for you.”

“Alright,” she followed him down the hallway to Oscar’s study and stopped for a moment. “When dinner is ready, please let Ruby know.”

“Yes, Young Miss,” he gave a small bow to her before leaving.

Snow sighed to herself and looked at the large doors. The last time she had been here, she had been called to issue a report on Xiao Long’s behalf. She could only imagine what he wanted now and she had a terrible feeling about it. It was a shame that he had waited until Ruby was already here. Steeling her breath, she knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

“You may enter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unlike the previous Lightforge, Yang’s story is developing a bit more slowly. Blake will appear, but she’ll be more of a driving force in future things. At the moment, I’m focusing more on Ruby’s relationship with the Schnee sisters. Next chapter, we’ll be starting off with Winter and Penny and going over what happened during that first encounter. Snow shows Ruby what she’s doing wrong with Lightforge and Ruby starts noticing unusual things.
> 
> I saw that some of you guys don’t like the way I do the German translation. I’m intentionally doing this because I don’t actually want you to know what’s being said when it’s said. I want you to understand from the POV of the character who is listening. For example, it’s mainly been Ruby’s POV when she speaks and Ruby does not speak the language, so she would have no idea what’s being said. I provide the translations at the bottom in the event you guys want to know. If the POV is something like Schnee Family/Oscar conversing with one another, I will add brackets since they will all understand each other.
> 
> German to English:
> 
> “das ist es wohl” – I guess it is.


	10. Missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Xmas/Happy Holidays, guys! I hope COVID hasn’t wrecked your year too bad. I know everything has been super hectic everywhere. I had actually planned to update this on Halloween, but everything was so busy. Weddings, bdays, and moving – it’s been nonstop. Seriously, is everyone born in October??? I know at least 14 people and five of them are on the same day!!! Like, HOW! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!!! WHAT ARE THE ODDS!!! Sidenote: I put a note at the end of the chapter itself due to an excerpt that I'd like you guys' feedback on! Thanks!
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is like 9300 words… Enjoy!

“Fuck!” Winter stumbled down the street, narrowly avoiding the lights. She ducked into an alleyway to avoid the Night Patrol and leaned against the brick while, sliding the rest of the way down. She’d used far too much energy regenerating her arm, so it was no wonder that girl had gotten one over on her. “Tch…” She didn’t have the strength to fully heal the wounds she had, which meant she needed to feed, as much as she hated it… but power was power and it would get her that much closer to her goal… and then maybe she’d be able to get her revenge. Revenge for the way she was living now, revenge for her sister, but most of all, revenge against the ones who fueled the fire that started all this. It wouldn’t fix things, but damn it would feel good.

In her hand, she held a blade she’d been gifted with a long time ago - a sword built alongside another. Years ago, she and Weiss had trained under Team STRQ, with Raven Branwen as their master. Oh, how they had both idolized the woman. She was incredibly ruthless in battle, but she had a softer side that they witnessed only when she was with family. Winter recalled that their time spent with Team STRQ was one of the few times they had truly felt warmth and this sword reminded her of the few times that she had been allowed to be herself – to be Winter.

Twins – there was nothing worse in the world that having a twin. Each family was different, but the Legend of the Twin Curse was much more than a story. No matter what, tragedy always befell them in some way or another and they became just another bad omen. Their master had been a twin and lost the love of her life and Winter’s life wasn’t much better… because while the Branwen family’s curse entailed bad luck, the Schnee’s curse was one where one of the children would die at an early age… and they’d been foolish to think they’d found a loophole around it.

Winter had been raised all her life to be Weiss. Even when they were born, it had been kept quiet. It was unusual though. Normally, wouldn’t it have been the first-born that was named first and gone on to become the heiress of their family’s dynasty? But no, not when it came to Winter.

Despite Winter being born first, Weiss had been born with an absurd affinity for Lightforge. They decided that she would be the one to carry on the family lineage, named her, and placed her on a pedestal… but all that power had a cost – her vision. Weiss couldn’t see, which meant that Weiss couldn’t make public appearances, which meant that Weiss needed Winter and Winter would always be Weiss’ eyes… and despite having everything stolen right from under her at birth, Winter loved her with every ounce of her heart. She’d meant everything to her, but now she was gone and Winter was wandering around almost aimlessly. The only thing she had was her revenge.

Winter squeezed the hilt of her sword as she thought about the exact moment her entire world had changed. She’d been knocked out cold, so she still didn’t know the full story, but when she had woken up, Weiss was gone and Ruby was still there. The only thing worse was that Ruby couldn’t even tell the difference between them anymore.

The first time Weiss had spoken about Ruby, she was so happy. Winter had thought the girl was an idiot, but somehow, in a world where everyone seemed to think they were the same person, Ruby Rose was the only one who could tell the difference… and now she couldn’t. How ironic. Heh, Winter wondered how Weiss would feel right now if she heard Ruby call her by Weiss’ name. No doubt, she’d be absolutely shattered.

_“Your blade is your partner, but just as you have a twin, so too does your partner! They are sister blades, forged from the same metal and enchanted with the same gifts. The only differences are their names and the story you will carve out for yourself with it. Think hard on their names – they’ll be with you for life.”_

Addon’s Adder – she had named it as a perfect foil to Weiss’ own blade, Persephone’s Chrys. Her sister had hastily named her own after flowers that represented the love and hope she represented, and though Winter loved her, she spitefully named her own after the venomous spite she felt toward her own existence. It was around the time they’d been gifted with these swords that Weiss began to no longer need her and Winter began to outlive her usefulness to Weiss… Weiss could see, which meant Weiss no longer needed her… and then Weiss replaced her with someone new… someone who used to know they weren’t the same person… Someone who’s blood Winter so desperately needed and was now under the protection of the worst fucking nightmare Winter could possibly dream up.

Why the _fuck_ was the Bandersnatch in town? This was a disaster!... Winter grit her teeth so hard, she almost snapped them, but stopped herself before she could do any damage. Calmness – she couldn’t afford to waste anymore energy. She needed to conserve her strength for now until she could find some convenient bystander.

“Help!” Speaking of…

Using Addon’s Adder for balance, Winter hoisted herself up and made her way to the other end of the alley where a man was harassing a young woman with short orange hair and a strange sense of fashion. She narrowed her eyes at the girl and suddenly it dawned on her why she looked so familiar. This was Penny Polendina – quite possibly Ruby’s best friend… and James Ironwood’s daughter…

“L-look, I’m just looking for my friend,” Penny back away nervously. “I don’t want any trouble.” It would be a real shame if something happened to her while she was out with Ruby. “Please, leave me alone.”

“No can do, Sweetness,” he adjusted himself as he approached her. “I’ve been waiting all night for someone like you. You can’t go just yet!”

“I-I’m not the type of person you want to mess with,” Penny stammered. “You don’t know who my father is!”

“I might not, but what I do know is you’re just my type!” He grinned as he grabbed her.

“And you’re just my type.” Suddenly, he was jerked away from Penny with a sudden force that caused him to rip the sleeve of her dress. A white haired girl had pulled him back and was now attached to his neck. Though her mind screamed for her to run, Penny’s body refused to obey her and she stood there, frozen. His body went limp and she let him slip from her grasp lifelessly. She stood up, leaning back, basking in the moonlight as her injuries healed. “There’s just something so special about O-negative. Don’t you think, Miss Polendina?”

“Help!” Penny turned to run, but tripped over her heels and somehow managed to knock herself out… This was James’ child prodigy… how impressive…

CLANG…. CLANG, CLANK

Which now raised the question of how she was standing in the basement of her own safe house, blocking flying cutlery with the sheathe of her blade. Seriously, she was trying to be nice. She didn’t have to accommodate to her. A dish came flying at her and an icy bipedal wolf familiar stood between them to block it. The plate clinked against his icy skin, sheering off a chunk of the frozen material that grew back. It looked back at Winter with an exhausted huff and she supposed even these creatures grew tired sometimes.

With a cursory yell, Penny launched herself at Winter, swinging a broomstick. With a loud clack, it connected with the sword sheathe and Winter glared at her. She dematerialized the weapon and snatched at Penny’s shirt, lifting her by the collar. With her free hand, she ripped the broom from her hand and sneered at it.

“Did you really think this would be effective?” Winter threw her to the ground and snapped it in half, tossing them to her as well. “Go on. If you really think wooden stakes will help you.” The red-head looked at the remnants in horror. The broom handle had been made of a sturdy wood, but the vampire had snapped it clean in half with just her bare hands. There really was no point. “Believe me, this knowledge doesn’t come from a lack of trying myself. Only Forge and Holy-infused items kill us. It’s useless otherwise… We’re apparently not like the vampires of the old days…”

“The old days?...” Penny’s voice was a mix of wonder and fear, but she shook the thoughts away. She didn’t have time for curiosity. “I’ve been trapped here for days with no food or water! This is torture!”

“Whose fault do you suppose that is?” The white-clad vampire sneered at her. “You’ve thrown everything you’ve been given at us.”

“When my father finds me, he’ll-“

“Ah, yes. Jim…” The piress mocked her in amusement. “He’s the only reason you’re still alive…”

“ _Jim_ … I thought it was weird back then too…”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not Weiss, are you?” Penny cocked her head and Winter’s eyes went wide.

“That’s preposterous!” She bit back at the accusation. “I am the only Weiss.”

“Being the _only_ Weiss and the _real_ Weiss are two different things.” It seemed Penny had found a sore spot for the vampire and maybe it would work out in her favor.

“That wouldn’t make any sense,” the vampiress scoffed at her in dismissal.

“Of course it does,” Penny smiled, feeling at bit braver now that the vampire was caught off guard. “The Schnee aren’t as good at hiding things as they think they are. They forget that my stepdad is one of their top programmers and that Dad is pretty much in the loop for everything, so I hear things…”

“That doesn’t mean any of them are true,” the vampire frowned at her. “Gossip is just that – gossip. You shouldn’t believe every rumor that you hear. I am Weiss Schnee – that is undeniable.”

“Huh, I’m pretty sure Dad told me that the Schnee family is one of the families under the Twins of Misfortune curse. It’s not every generation, but I read the files. The younger one is supposed to die, so I guess that makes you the big sister?”

“A nice speculation, but-“

“I’m not speculating… I’m just repeating what Dad told me,” Penny sat back as if to recall something. “You know, I met both of you separately and I knew you weren’t the same immediately. Weiss always called him Ironwood, but you always used his first name. When I asked him, he said your name was… Win…ter…?”

“Jim speaks too much sometimes,” Winter crossed her arms, wrapping them around herself. “…You knew this, yet you didn’t say anything to Ruby the entire time?”

“Are you kidding? Ruby was already heartbroken over Weiss getting hurt for her. Can you imagine if she’d learned she actually died because of it?” Winter glared at her and Penny suddenly felt foolish. “Well… I mean, I guess you do know… Ugh!” Penny groaned and stood up, patting herself off. “I want to go outside.”

Winter watched her for a moment before heading up the stairs. Behind her the Beowolf followed, leaving the basement door open. Were they really going to let her leave the room? Penny slowly walked up the stairs, peeking her head out of the doorway cautiously.

“Hurry up,” Winter snapped and Penny jumped into the room – the Beowolf shutting the door behind her. “You’re dismissed.” With a huff, it shattered into a crystal powder that vanished as it hit the ground and Penny watched in awe.

“That was so cool!” Wait… She tried to contain her curiosity and reminded herself that the Grimm were literally the souls of enslaved humans that were either dead or had a soulless vampire counterpart… Great… “… Is he the only one you have?... Wait, no… Does he have a name?”

“Those are your questions?” Winter quirked a brow in amusement as she sat with her hands clasped in front of her. “Not why I’m using my sister’s name? Not why I’ve decided to let you out? Not even, why I haven’t killed you… You just want to know if he has a name and if there are others…

“Uh… yes?”

“Hahahaaaa!” Even in all the time pre-vampirism, Penny had never heard Winter laugh in a tone that wasn’t condescending before. “It seems Ruby truly does surround herself with interesting individuals… No, he doesn’t have a name.”

“The unjustice!” Penny declared in clear offense. “If he’s working for you, he should at least have a name! He clearly has personality! Just say the first thing that comes to your mind.”

“…Gary…”

“Gary?” Penny’s face twisted in disgust. “Now that’s just boring! You’re not even trying!”

“Well, excuse me,” Winter growled. “But _Hey You_ has worked perfectly fine, so far! I haven’t exactly found myself in a situation where I need more than one Grimm at a time!”

“So there _are_ more…”

“…” Winter needed to be careful. Penny was a lot more cunning than she had originally thought. Right now, Vale had very little information about the vampire known as The Ice Queen. They only knew that she had recently appeared and was amassing a small army. There was talk among the Underworld about her, but they knew nothing of her true intentions. They might laugh if they did.

In the long run, her plans went much deeper, but for the short term, she was intentionally antagonizing the Fire Empress and her coven. While Ruby turned out to be the key to something she desired, the fact that she was exactly what Cinder needed was just an added perk, but that also presented another problem. Cinder didn’t know that Summer Rose had a daughter, and once Winter got what she needed from Ruby, Cinder would know that there was another Rose out there. If she wanted to avoid anyone else getting their hands on Ruby, she’d have to kill her, but that wouldn’t be easy with Ruby’s newest acquaintance… Then again, that could actually also work in Winter’s favor.

It seemed that The Bandersnatch was somewhere she shouldn’t have been the other night and had brought Puritans into the Fire Empress’ territory. She smirked to herself at the thought of how irritated Cinder must have been. Maybe if she planned things out right, she could get them to take each other out, or at least they would distract each other long enough for Winter to capture Ruby.

“You look like you’re really lost in thought.”

“Hm?” Oh right, Penny was still here. “Ruby has a new friend.”

“Snow?” Penny shifted uncomfortably. “I wouldn’t exactly call them friends. They _just_ met at the club.”

“…They seemed unusually close for two people that don’t know each other,” Winter eyed Penny suspiciously. That girl had been far too protective of her to just be an acquaintance. “Is there something you’re hiding, Penny?”

“N-no,” Penny swallowed. “It’s just, she’s an Atlesian - like you - and wears a jacket with an Elite’s crest on the back.”

“Elite crest?” Winter tried to think back to their encounter with one another. “I don’t recall that, but it was fairly dark out… Still, that girl’s abilities don’t even resemble Lightforge in the slightest… Did you get her name?”

“Snow White,” Penny nodded. “I, at least, got that part.”

“You’ve really never heard of her?”

“Should I have?”

“Well,” Winter thought about it for a moment. Maybe it wasn’t that surprising. Penny may have been human, but she wasn’t an Elite, so she didn’t have to worry about her. “You’re aware of the Elites’ Most Wanted List, right?”

“Uh, yeah!” Penny chirped happily. She’d actually seen it while perusing some of the Schnee Corps more secured files. “It’s a list of the most dangerous Inhumans, normally wanted dead. All the Vampire Elders are on it, with a few of their more notable Nobles. Right under them, you start getting into Faunus and Weres, but there might be a human or two in there somewhere… You’re not saying she’s on that list, are you?”

“That shows just how out of touch the Elites are with the Underworld,” Winter sighed. “Junior’s is really the only place you can get accurate information about who’s who in the Underworld, but even then, good info has a price and it isn’t always money.”

“Winter…” Oh? The seriousness of Penny’s voice actually caught Winter off guard and sent a shiver of excitement down her spine. “Is she on that list?”

“Heh, you really wanna’ know?” The ivory vampiress leaned in closer, with a sly smile. “It’ll cost you.”

“My best friend is with an Inhuman who’s pretending to be an Elite and you know who she really is,” Penny said coldly, sending another shiver down her spine. “You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not in the mood to play with you, right now…”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry,” Winter grinned, tilting her head to look up at her from her seat. “I think right now, I’m the one she has her eyes on.”

“What does that mean?”

“You really don’t know who The Bandersnatch is, do you?”

“Isn’t that like a bedtime story that Inhuman parents tell their kids?” Penny frowned at the thought of the urban legend. There wasn’t really any proof The Bandersnatch existed, but there wasn’t any proof that they didn’t. The file on The Bandersnatch was extremely thin and didn’t even have any photographic evidence. They knew nothing about their gender or powers – only that displays of severe carnage were left behind – and that honestly could have had any number of other explanations.

“The stories go back ages and she’s only recently made an appearance, but I assure you that she’s very real,” Winter backed up a bit. “And she’s with your friend, which unfortunately for me, makes Ruby the most unapproachable person in the world. I’m not taking my chances against her again – not until I have more power. I’m honestly surprised I lived… She let me go, but I’m not sure why. I half suspect that she did not want Ruby to see her kill me… Which means that Ruby is a bit more than the bait I assumed she was.”

“What are you even talking about?!” Penny shouted. “Bait?! They _just_ met!”

“You’re right, but I guess as a human, you wouldn’t be familiar with the details of The Bandersnatch’s tale and why Inhumans are so afraid of it,” Winter said darkly. “It was said that in the old days, there was a witch that gained the power to warp the souls of humans and enslave them. They called her The Unholy Mother. With this power, she created the vampires of old, but what she did not know, was that they too would share the same power. You recall that I said I am not like The Old Ones, correct?”

“You mentioned that earlier, but what does that mean?”

“Well, you see, The Old Ones still had their hearts,” Winter nodded as she spoke. “The Old Ones were what we would call Daywalkers. Simply put, they were humans with insane control over Darkforge. It warped them into beings with a cannibalistic bloodlust. Despite their power, they were not immortal and died very human deaths. That’s where the belief that piercing them through the heart kills them comes from.”

“Well, what about garlic and silver?”

“Hmmm, well,” Winter thought about it for a moment. “Silver is a natural deterrent for Darkforge to begin with, so that’s no surprise. As for garlic, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone happened to be allergic to it and some farmer’s gossiping wife over exaggerated the details. Old wives tales are named as such for a reason. Either way, the Coven Flame exists to limit the power of vampires.”

“The… Coven Flame?”

“Yes,” Winter nodded once more. “A vampire of old, in an act of defiance, consumed his own heart, making himself into his very own familiar. It is said that this preserved the last of his humanity. In its place, he stole the flame the witch cast her spells over and used it as his source of life. In her anger, the witch cast a spell that made it so all those he had sired would endure the same fate as he. Her flame infected every one of them, burning away their hearts and dooming them to the world of night for all eternity. They became vile and pallid creatures that warped the souls of their victims into beasts of shadow, not unlike his familiar. As the last of his humanity slipped away, the vampire ordered his familiar to destroy every last Childe of Night that he had created and to use whatever means necessary. He gave him a precious gem and told him that he would no longer be able to provide for him, but he would have free will… You really haven’t heard this story?”

“No,” Penny shook her head.

“Really now?” Winter seemed genuinely concerned. “It’s the story of why amethyst prevents Inhumans from… oh shit…”

“What?”

“I lost track of Ruby moments after that girl took her away,” Winter growled. “That’s how she’s hiding her…”

“Oh… well, not to point out the obvious or anything,“ Penny said nervously. “But Snow is… a girl…”

“Well, there’s no proof his familiar wasn’t a female. Ancient texts tend to use masculine descriptors in place of gender neutral ones. God forbid something physically powerful be feminine in nature without being a vengeful bitch.”

“You don’t exactly make a good case for the _not being vengeful_ part…”

“Did I ask for commentary?” Winter snapped and Penny jolted upright. “Still, I don’t see why a familiar can’t change its appearance. After all… _Gary_ doesn’t only appear as a Beowulf. He is whatever I want him to be…”

“Aaaaah,” Penny gasped in excitement. “You called him Gary! Oh… but what if Gary is female? Should we call him Greta, then?”

“Ugh, don’t be absurd,” Winter rolled her eyes. “What kind of name is Greta? Clearly, it would be Geri or Garnet or something like that! What does it matter anyway?”

“I mean,” Penny fiddled with her fingers. “I just would have thought that you would place importance in names.” Suddenly, a cold feeling went over the room and Penny realized where she’d gone wrong. “I-I didn’t mean to say that. I… that was uncalled for…”

“You have the audacity to say something like that,” Winter’s voice was laced with an icy poison that dropped the temperature of the room even further. “And you can’t even look at me when you say it.” Winter grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward the door. She swung it open and threw her out onto the patio and stormed past her.

“The legend also says that The Bandersnatch is a huge, hulking wolf-like beast of shadow that will come for those with impurities in their hearts,” Winter hissed. “As wicked as you are with your words, maybe after she’s done with me, she’ll be interested in a bit more than saving you.”

“Well, that seems rather counterproductive,” Penny said and Winter glared at her.

“Cheeky, aren’t we?”

“N-no, I didn’t mean me. It’s just that you said vampires don’t have hearts,” Penny rubbed at her knees and noticed they were full of gravel and bleeding. “S-so how can they have impurities there? Isn’t fire… purifying? ”

For a moment, Winter’s anger muted itself and she felt something akin to her heart skipping a beat, or maybe she should say that her own flame wavered with some sort of non-existent wind. Whatever it was that vampire’s equated the feeling to, she was speechless. Even as a human, she’d never considered herself to have pure intentions. All she’d wanted was to be at her sister’s side – to protect- not _be_ her… and she _gloriously_ failed at that on multiple occasions.

Instead, she’d been left alone and often had difficulties telling where Weiss ended and she began. She’d had so much misplaced anger and rage over the years, but as long as Weiss was there, it was alright. She was needed… and the only person that mattered to her knew that she was Winter and not Weiss, but now she was gone. So very gone… and Winter was so very alone and held to a standard she couldn’t meet… and then she died _because_ her murderers had mistaken her for Weiss, just like everyone else in the world...

That’s right. Maybe Penny had pegged her correctly. She was just wrong about who it was she was after. In the grand scheme, Ruby was just small fry. Winter had come back to see this city burn, along with all those who had made her suffer. The Fire Empress and her crew? They would be among them, but she had a special hatred reserved for any and all involved with her neglect. Elites, family, friends, enemies – it didn’t matter. For her, hell had literally frozen over and she would drag this city down into the depths with. There wasn’t a single soul left in this world that cared about who she was or wasn’t… and she would spare no one.

“Winter?” And then there was this one…

“…I won’t give you this chance again. Be gone before I get back,” Winter growled, refusing to look back at her. “I can’t stand you making me question myself…” Winter took off into the night, disappearing in the tall grass of the meadow and Penny shoulders sagged.

“But I have no idea where I am…”

**ooOOoo**

“…Hnnnnnnnn….”

Who was whining? Ruby sat up from the bed and looked around. Save for the moonlight that cascaded over the room, everything was dark. Beside her, the bed was empty. She recalled that Snow hadn’t gone to bed at the same time as her. Instead, she’d told Ruby to go ahead of her. She’d been in a terrible mood after meeting with the headmaster earlier. Whatever exchange they’d had, she’d clearly been upset by the outcome.

“Nnnngh…”

Having adjusted to the darkness, Ruby’s eyes ventured toward the source of the sound, where she found a figure wrapped up on the couch in the center of the room. She sighed and pulled away the covers, heading toward the sleeping figure. When she arrived, she found Snow trembling as she grunted in her sleep. It was strange to see her so perplexed.

Ruby had figured that Snow probably didn’t have the best dreams from the other morning, but this was most definitely a nightmare. She reached out to touch her and Snow seemed to calm down almost immediately. Maybe her argument with the headmaster had set her off? From the corner of her eye, something shadowy suddenly moved and she snapped her head around to look at it… but there was nothing.

Instead, what she found was a white uniform in pristine condition – an Elite’s uniform. Though she had initially played it out, Snow hadn’t seemed keen on being mistaken for an Elite. She had made sure to correct Ruby when she’d gotten a chance and Ruby wondered if this was the cause of the argument she’d vaguely overheard. The details weren’t exact, but she’d heard something about Snow’s safety not being guaranteed. Truth be told, Ruby had hoped to snuggle up to her, but Snow had been very distant and upset through dinner, so here she was: watching Snow have a nightmare on a couch while she slept in an unfamiliar bed… alone…

As Ruby stared at the uniform, she found herself unaware that she had zoned out until something Ruby caught her eye. It was like a pair of eyes that stared back at her and her hair stood on edge. Startled, she wiped at her eyes to make sure she wasn’t just seeing things, but it was gone when she opened them again. Instead, something bushy and tail-like trailed out the bedroom door… Strange, she’d thought Snow had closed the door before they’d gone to bed.

Against her better judgment, she peeked her head out the door and found nothing. The lights around the hallways had been dimmed low enough to make her away around, but no one else was awake at this time of night.

_Pat pat pat_

A low growl came from below the landing, alongside the sound of paws scampering across the ground. Did Oscar have a dog? She hadn’t seen one the entire time she’d been here, but maybe it had been outside and they had only let it in at night? A strange feeling of nostalgia crossed her mind. It wasn’t the first time she’d felt like she was being watched by something here, but the last time, she’d met someone who became very important to her.

The way that she and Weiss had started off wasn’t exactly the warmest, but at least she had tolerated her. Back then, Ruby recalled that the Schnee heiress was being treated by her mother for something, though she had never explained what. No matter how hard Ruby tried, Weiss kept to herself and was often mean to her. Even when they asked Weiss to keep an eye on Ruby, she tried to avoid her, but at some point that all changed and Weiss suddenly wanted to be with Ruby every waking moment. Weiss was always happy to see her, to the point that she would ask Summer to bring Ruby, and Ruby was always excited… but then Weiss got hurt protecting Ruby and everything changed… and then she died before they could ever fix things. Now, everything was back where it started, but worse.

_Pat pat pat_

The noise trotted around again and Ruby descended the staircase in pursuit of it. Oscar and Snow both assured her that she was safe here, but the sound of a dog was sort of alarming to her. What if the strange wolf had somehow gotten inside? But what she remembered was made of Darkforge. It would have to get through a lot of defense systems designed specifically to repel Darkforge. With a sigh, she reached the bottom of the stairwell and listened for any signed on the unidentified animal… Nothing…

Just beyond the staircase was a series of glass doors and tall windows that led to a luxurious terrace with an open view of the wooded area beyond. She looked around the entrance hall and recalled that behind her was the dining area she had been in earlier, but across the way was an entire other side of the house and it had been a while… and Snow said this place wasn’t that big of a deal…

The guest rooms were in this area of the house, though they were considerably bare in comparison to Snow’s room. Considering that she was a guest, she was almost surprised that she wasn’t in one of them, though Snow had been very insistent about being in close proximity to her. It was kind of silly, but she remembered that when she met Weiss, she had also been staying in one of these rooms while Oscar prepared a room for her. Weiss kept this silly little UV nightlight back then and swore that it kept her safe. Somehow, that little memory felt important, but she couldn’t recall why for the life of her. It _was_ a long time ago and things between them had gotten so bad that, even if Weiss were still alive, she doubted she’d tell her.

Further down the hall, a door was slightly cracked open and she wondered if someone had gone in there. She casually made her way over and gently pushed the door open, just in case there was someone there, but it was empty. The room itself left her in the same state of awe that it did every time she’d been in it before.

Inside was a large two story library with bookcase upon bookcase. There were several tables and desks with lamps on them, aged maps, and boards with all sorts of information ranging from breakdowns of Forge to weapon blueprints and building plans. Part of her wondered if Snow studied here, as well… but then another thought crossed her mind. Though Weiss did not recognize her, Snow was familiar with her – even speaking to her in her family’s language. In fact, Ruby was almost sure of it, even if Snow didn’t want to elaborate on it. She’d just have to figure it out on her own.

As a child, she’d come to this room several time and old habits never changed. She climbed the stairs and walked lazily, dragging her fingers across the wooden shelves. Her fingers caught on several little bumps and crevices that hadn’t meant much to her as a child, but as she grew older, she’d learned that Braille was a thing. Many of the books also had Braille markings and that told her that someone in the headmaster’s family had been blind. She’d once gotten the urge to open one, but it was the strangest thing to her and it made no sense. She did wonder what kind of books they were and what sort of person they had been.

Coming to a stop, she reached her destination and looked along the different book titles until she found a section dedicated to Lightforge. Lightforge itself was something the young Rose never understood. Outside of the pre-loaded magazines, she’d never been able to use it when it came to melee weaponry. Unfortunately, the more advanced weapons required the user to be able to get in sync with Lightforge and she couldn’t get the concept down. Yang couldn’t do it either and had to resort to the EXO-system to keep up with Freaks, which is what Ruby would have to do if she ever hoped to get out in the field…

Then again, it might also help if she were able to at least finish a single night shift. Apparently, she wasn’t allowed and they just threw her in the cage to work on weapons with Penny’s dad. At least, she had a knack for it, courtesy of the hobby she shared with their Uncle Qrow.

“Miss Rose?” The silver-eyed girl jumped at the sound of her name and instantly spun around to find Klein at the door. He entered quietly and his eyes landed on the book in her hand. “Trouble sleeping?”

“Um… yes?” Ruby spoke with a nervous laugh. “I guess I’m just a bit antsy and I found the library and I’m bad at Lightforge, so I thought maybe I’d read up on it and try to learn something while I’m here.”

“I see,” the jolly man’s mustache curved upward with his smile. “We have a room if you’d like to practice. Master Pine will not mind.”

“Can I take the books with me?”

“As long as you return them,” he said with a nod. “The Young Miss is very particular about keeping things in order.”

“I’ll put them back after,” Ruby smiled back and he turned around to leave the room.

“This way,” he said and she picked up her selection and trotted out of the room behind him. He entered a room that seemed like an armory-type room, but then he continued heading further inside and stood before a large metal door. He pulled it open with a heavy whining sound and motioned for her to follow him inside. There was a staircase that descended to basement area and he flipped a switch. Overhead lights flickered to life one after the other, revealing a room with several attack dummies, targets, and a firing range. Along the walls were several types of weapons and the walls were lined with both ammunition and a supply of Lightforge for practice with melee weapons.

“You’ll be able to find whatever you need,” he offered. “And don’t worry about using too much. Master Pine often restocks, especially now that the Young Miss has returned.”

“Thank you so much, Klein,” Ruby chirped happily. “You, um, really respect Snow, don’t you?”

“I do,” he nodded proudly. “I’ve been under the young miss’ employment since she was a baby, though I’ve remained here since she was sent away.”

“A… baby?” Ruby tilted her head. “So, does that mean you were with her during her life before the headmaster?” For a moment, Klein was quiet, but that was enough for her. “I get it if it’s something she doesn’t want to talk about, but I just wanted to know a little bit about her when she was little… or like, why I don’t remember her.”

“You were both quite young,” he offered with a smile.

“Oh,” she was a bit disappointed with the simple answer. A small part of her had thought that there had been some sort of mystical element to it, but maybe she was giving it too much thought. “Um, you said that she was sent away?”

“Oh, yes,” the butler nodded as he unlocked a cabinet with Lightforge vials. “She was sent away for training with the Birds of Prey.”

“The Birds of Prey?!” Ruby’s voice came out a bit loud and she shrank down, covering her mouth. “I-I mean, don’t they hate humans?”

“I can understand your surprise,” he chuckled. “I, myself, was surprised, but your mother was well-connected to the current chieftess. One of the last things Summer requested of her was that she oversee the young miss’ training. Back then, she was quite a danger to herself and those around her.”

“A danger?” The Snow that Ruby recalled was respectful, reserved, her customs were foreign to her, and she appeared to be very in control. “I can’t see that.”

“You wouldn’t,” he shook his head and passed a vial to her. “I’ve noticed the changes in her though. Though she is still rather distant to others, she’s always been more open around your family.”

“And the headmaster,” Ruby added. “They seem like brother and sister… are they?”

“Oh ho ho ho, heaven’s no!” For the first time, Klein genuinely laughed. “It’s not out of the realm of possibilities for them to be related distantly, but he is merely fond of her. The Master has a weakness for orphaned children, especially the ones that hold great potential.”

“Oh,” Ruby mouthed quietly. “Then why me? I have nothing.”

“I think that you are special in your own right,” he nudged a book closer to her. “You just don’t see it yourself. With a little effort, you can overcome anything, even if it is not the exact result you were looking for.”

“But I’ve never been able to use Lightforge…”

“I think that it’s all about your perception,” Klein chuckled once more. “We all perceive the world in different ways – some more unique than others. Take the young miss for example: she sees the world with more than just her eyes.”

“She’s resourceful, right?”

“Very much, Miss Rose,” Klein grinned.

“I was wondering,” Ruby mind went back the bookcase. “Did the headmaster have a blind family member? I noticed the Braille, but I never really thought about it. I guess my mind’s just wandering a little more tonight.”

“Oh, you don’t know?” The portly man grinned beneath his mustache. “Well, you see, Braille was necessary in order to-“

“That’s enough, Klein,” a firm voice came from the entryway.

“My apologies, Young Miss,” he bowed politely. “I was merely trying to satisfy Miss Rose’s curiosities.”

“You’re dismissed,” Snow crossed her arms in irritation and Klein offered a polite bow to Ruby.

“Have a good night, Miss Rose. I hope that sleep finds you well.” The older man headed toward the door, stopping briefly as he passed her. “You’ve managed to capture her interest quite magnificently. It would be a shame to distance yourself now that you have what you want.”

“You’re overstepping, Klein,” Snow tried to hide the redness in her face. “You can leave now.”

“Very well, Young Miss,” he spoke animatedly. “Enjoy the night!”

“Klein!” Snow stamped her foot as the jolly man retreated up the stairs with a mischievous chuckle. “I’m so sorry if he said anything strange,” Snow offered as she approached Ruby.

“No, I was just asking about the Braille on the bookcases.”

“The… Braille?”

“Pffft,” Ruby snorted and Snow’s expression twisted in confusion. “Yeah, on the bookcases. What, did you never notice? He made it sound like you were super OCD about the library, so I thought you’d have noticed it too.”

“…”

“O-oh, I-I wasn’t making fun of you,” Ruby nervously brushed hair behind her ear. “I just wanted to know about you and stuff and I mentioned the Braille. That’s all.”

“Er,” the redness returned to Snow’s face with a vengeance. “I suppose OCD is right. It’s just easier when I know where everything is.”

“Then can I ask about this?” Ruby lifted up their hands together.

“About what?”

“You know what I mean,” Ruby smirked and rubbed her thumbs over Snow’s fingers. “You wear gloves, but not with me.”

“Oh, it’s uh,” Snow shifted uneasily. “You’re… special…”

“Special how?”

“When I was very young, I was taught that the world was mine and everyone was beneath me,” Snow spoke distantly as she recalled her early memories. “I was supposed to become someone important, but then I made a mistake and suddenly the cherished daughter they had raised was now an eyesore, a blemish to their name – worthless. I was discarded like trash.”

“I’m so sorry, Snow,” Ruby squeezed their fingers together and held them to her chest.

“But then you came along,” Snow smiled. “Like this little light that only grew brighter and I want it to keep growing.” Snow turned her hands over in Ruby’s, lacing their fingers back together. “For me, it’s no longer a matter of whether someone is my equal or not. It’s that touching others feels so invasive – so personal – like they’re touching a part of me that I don’t want anyone to know.”

“So it’s like a barrier between you and everyone else?” Snow nodded and Ruby started to pull her hands away. “I’m sorry! I’ve been so pushy with you! That’s why you didn’t sleep in the bed.”

“That’s not why,” Snow tightened her grip and pulled her back. “It’s okay when it’s you… but I’m afraid of what that might lead to.”

“Oh, I see,” Ruby nodded slowly as she processed what Snow was saying. “O- oh! You mean… oh, um! I… I’m flattered! I’ve, um, thought about that too? I guess?”

“Thought about?” Snow gave her a confused look, but then it hit her and she turned redder than she’d been earlier. “Oh! Um, I meant that you’d be in danger being close to me, but… um… yes? That too? Maybe?”

“Oh my God,” Ruby pulled her hands away and buried her face. “I want to crawl in a hole and die, right now! Can we just erase all of that and pretend it didn’t happen?”

“But it did…”

“Not helping, Snow!” Ruby scrunched her face at her and Snow smirked. “Ugh, I was doing something before you came in here and got all distracting!”

“Hahaha, alright then,” Snow stepped around to sit in a chair on the other side of the table. “Then carry on.”

“Er, fine!” Ruby flipped through the book until she found what she was looking for and then scampered over to the wall where a combat knife was.

“Awfully small, isn’t it?” Snow teased playfully.

“No one asked you!” While most Forgebearers used much longer blades, she felt that if she couldn’t even manage a blade this short, there was no reason to try the longer ones.

LF Weapons, as they were called, contained silver inlays that helped to retain Lightforge as it traveled through the weapon. The handles were hollowed out a bit and fitted with a slot to insert vials of Lightforge. Ruby flipped open the slot for the cartridge and inserted the vial and closed it. Closing her eyes, she held the blade between both hands tried to concentrate… but nothing happened… and she could feel Snow’s eyes on her. She peeked an eye open and found the raven-haired girl watching her intently.

“Don’t mind me. Keep going.”

“You… don’t have to watch me everywhere I go,” Ruby huffed. “I’m safe here!”

“This is more for me… Your presence is soothing.” Ruby blushed at the bluntness of her statement and tried to distract herself with the blade once more.

“Ugh,” Ruby let out a frustrated sound. No matter what, she couldn’t clear her mind like the teachers said. This process didn’t make sense at all. How were you supposed to keep your mind clear in the middle of a fight when it was already this difficult outside of one?! A pair of arm came around her and slid toward her wrists and Ruby panicked. “Uh, wh-what are you doing?!”

“I heard you were an excellent marksman, Ruby… but your form with blades is terrible.”

“Har har… I’m not trying to work on swordsmanship, Snow…”

“Why not?” Snow’s question was genuine. “You are attempting to have a conversation with this weapon without understanding it… at least, this is how the Master put it to us.”

“The… Master?”

“The person who has overseen my training since childhood,” Snow spoke calmly as she repositioned Ruby’s fingers. “Relax. Breathe.” Ruby took a deep breath and let Snow’s voice become the only thing in her head. “She was able to help me find my own path to clarity. Of that, I am certain.”

Oh, that was right. The Birds of Prey were a group of Outsider Faunus known for espionage and guerilla tactics. They followed a strict hierarchy and applied the foundations of martial arts training to their very way of life. In the beginning, the Birds of Prey had sided with the White Fang, but the current leader had severed their ties, citing that they would not take sides in a war that did not benefit their own goals. Now, they were information brokers that sold to the highest bidder, so what was Snow doing with people like them? Even stranger, what had her own mother had to do with the leader?

“You mention paths and certainty a lot,” Ruby noticed this over time. It was a little quirk that she thought was cute, at first, but now it seemed like something taught.

“As students, we are clean slates, waiting to have our stories written. It how the Master explained it,” Snow explained. “She only gives us the tools to carve our own paths, but we must choose them and live according to them.”

“And what did you choose?”

“I walk with certainty,” Snow spoke firmly. “It is as I have chosen.”

“Oh, that’s what that means,” Ruby frowned and looked back at her. “You’ve been reaffirming an oath this whole time, haven’t you?” Snow nodded and Ruby sighed. “So your _path_ is something important to you, right?” Again, she nodded. “So what does certainty mean to you?”

“My decisions are deliberate, with purpose, and will only be performed when I am sure of the outcome,” Snow stated simply. “I do not take chances. It has cost me dearly in the past.”

“So there are other paths?”

“Oh, yes, many,” Snow nodded in confirmation. “My sister pursues the path of wisdom.”

“Isn’t that like the same thing?!”

“They are two sides of the same thing, I suppose,” Snow shrugged. “Pursuit of knowledge, I supposed is our general path, but wisdom and certainty are two very different applications. To her, it means gathering the information and experience to take the correct action, but I don’t have time for that. I need to take the most direct path to achieve my goal.”

“And what’s your goal?”

“…” Her new friend’s emotions went blank and something dark started to emanate from within her and Ruby swallowed before she spoke.

“Snow?”

“Oscar’s filled me in on the programs you’re involved in,” Snow changed the subject, throwing her off.

“Pr-programs?” Ruby went pale and gulped. Did that mean she knew about the testing the Schnee performed on her?

“With Ironwood – I heard you have a talent for working with weapons. Ironwood is considering making you an offer to stay once you graduate.”

“O-oh! That! Yeah, but I can only do maintenance on regular weapons. I can’t calibrate weaponry with an LF distribution system properly… I’m not compatible…”

“Hmmm… you’re not _compatible_?...” She held Ruby tighter and nuzzled into her. “Or you’re _unskilled_?”

“W-well,” Ruby’s poor heart started to race. At the rate her mind was wandering, she’d never calm her mind, let alone get back to sleep. “I can’t b-be skilled with something I c-can’t do…”

A hand slid down Ruby’s left arm and wrapped around her own. The arm around Ruby’s waste slid up her side, resting at her chin and tilted Ruby’s head so that their eyes met and her heartbeat quickened once more. Despite the absence of the glow, Snow’s eyes were still such a radiant blue filled with affection. She was so mesmerized that she almost didn’t notice the presence of Snow’s hand disappearing from her own.

“I like to think that it’s all about perspective.” A faint glow came from below, wavering as is came to life. The younger girl’s eyes widened and the energy dissipated as she panicked.

“I… How did I… Did you?”

“No,” Snow shook her head gently. “That was all you.”

“That can’t be,” Ruby racked her brain for something that made sense. “They said I had to have a tranquil heart and mind!”

“Just another way to manipulate the grunts into becoming exactly what they want,” Snow shrugged dismissively. “There’s no one right way to do things, Ruby.”

“But then, if that’s not the way, then how?”

“Your heart and soul need to be in sync – that’s why they tell you to aim for tranquility,” Snow explained. “It’s a concept that everyone can wrap their minds around, but it’s not for everyone, in practice. The real key is _desire_. When our heart desires something, our minds are set on it. It’s up to us to hold onto that feeling and figure out how best to channel it into something constructive,” Snow grinned with an obnoxious confidence. “And it seems you had something very specific in mind.”

“Ugh!” If she’d have know she was going to tease her, she’d have just gone back to bed already. “You’re horrible!”

“And after all the help I just gave you! So ungrateful!”

“Do you have to be so mean?!”

“Your reactions are fun,” Snow stepped back, offering her hand with a warm smile. “This is enough for tonight, right? Let’s go back to sleep. You have to be up early.”

Taking the mysterious girl’s hand, Ruby nodded obediently, following behind her. Snow’s hand was so warm and pleasant without the irritating texture of the glove. Ruby cringed at the thought of the roughness against her skin earlier and reveled in the smoothness as she rubbed her thumb along the back of her silky skin. She’d been so distracted that she hadn’t realized they’d reached the room until they stopped to open the door and Snow guided her toward the bed. With a fond look, Ruby noticed the glow had returned to her eyes under the moonlight and Snow turned around to return to the couch.

“Ah,” Ruby lifted herself partially to grab Snow’s hand and the Outsider look back at her. “Stay with me?...” The dark-haired girl gave her an uncertain look, eyes darting between the couch she’d made her home on earlier and the girl who desired her presence beside her. Ruby squeezed a little more in emphasis and Snow let out a small huff, immediately followed by a smile and relaxed. Ruby pulled and Snow let herself be dragged toward her, laying beside her.

It felt a lot better being able to appreciate the glow of her eyes from up close. Somehow, it felt nostalgic, like this had happened a while back and she wondered what it was that made them glow. Maybe it was the type of Faunus she was? But what proof did she have of her being a Faunus? The Birds of Prey were only Aven Faunus and Snow didn’t seem to have any bird-like traits. She’d heard that Weres were welcome among the White Fang, but they were no longer a part of them.

“What?” Snow voice was soft as she gazed back with equal tenderness and Ruby blinked slowly, appreciating the moment.

“Were you ever able to use Lightforge?”

“Oooooh,” Snow smiled slyly. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re trying to fish for information about what I am.”

“Can you blame me?” Ruby smiled tiredly. “I wanna’ know how you got,” Ruby’s hand slid gently to Snow’s cheek and she brushed her thumb across it. There was a slight indent across her eye, likely from a previous wound. As she glossed over it, Snow recoiled with an ashamed look and Ruby smiled warmly. “So perfect.”

Several emotions flashed across Snow’s face, first scared then grateful, and eventually she settled on something fond. The Outsider swallowed nervously and Ruby watched with a mix of concern and amusement as she lifted herself up. It was nice to catch her off-guard for once, but she hoped she hadn’t said too much.

She hesitated at first, but Snow eventually reached across Ruby, sliding herself closer and trapping her between herself and her own arm. The older girl hovered over her with a conflicted look in her eyes. It was unsettling to see Snow at odds with herself and looking so unsure. Snow’s eyes dropped for a moment and she bit her lip before looking away. It took Ruby a second to realize what she’d look at, but the she felt cheeks burst into flames.

“S-Snow…” Blue eyes ensnared her once more and Ruby shifted herself so that she was beneath the Atlesian and looped her arms around Snow’s neck and pulled her in.

The contact was light and feathery when their lips first touched. It was nerve-wracking and Ruby wasn’t sure if was Snow’s heart or her own that she could hear slamming against walls of their chests. Their lips brushed together a second time and Ruby could feel Snow’s nails graze across her cheek as her hand found its home on her cheek. By the third, Snow seemed more confident and her hand roamed freely to rest at Ruby’s hip, but as her confidence grew, so did the pressure at Ruby’s hip.

Snow pulled away briefly and Ruby chased after her lips, biting longingly and savoring the moment. Their gaze met through half-lidded eyes, but there was something predatorial in Snow’s that excited Ruby. Her dark knight planted a knee between her legs and moved just past Ruby’s lips, kissing along her chin and down her neck. Her hand slid up Ruby’s back and pulled her closer, as if to meld them together and Ruby whimpered beneath her touch.

Snow returned to her lips, crashing into them with a newly lit fire and Ruby moaned into the reignited kiss. Ruby ran her hands messily through Snow’s hair as she returned to her neck and gasped loudly, fueling the Atlesian more. Something wet brushed softly against her neck and she gasped as Snow’s tongue trailed downward. She let out a soft gasp at the action, but suddenly Snow bit down and Ruby cried out in surprise.

Snapping out of it, the Atlesian jolted back with a fearful expression. Ruby held a hand to her neck and she knew she’d gone too far. She backed away, looking at her in horror at what she’d done and fled to the bathroom. This was exactly what she was trying to avoid…. She’d hurt Ruby.

**ooOOoo**

**AN: Whoops. I guess Snow screwed up a… bit *badum tisk*! Just kidding, that was awful O_O. I basically gave you guys a giant lore dump. I actually like the way that Penny and Winter interact in this segment. She’s more lucid when Ruby’s not involved. Anyway, I wanted some input on something. I’ll be updating some stuff in previous chapters. No major scene changes. Basically, I’m making this its own unique world, instead of working this into Earth’s history. I’ve been using German as a substitute for Atlesian, but I’ve noticed some complaints about my using another language and not providing an immediate translation. I’m considering typing in English, but _using italics every time they switch languages._ There’s a spin-off I wrote out with The Originator’s story and Ruby’s great ancestor is a character who often switches between English and Ancient Circadian. I probably won’t post it for a while, since LF hasn’t even gotten to introducing him yet, but I wanted to add a short excerpt below so you guys can see how I would be applying this and if it feels natural to you guys. Anyway, thanks a bunch for sticking with me, guys, and Merry Xmas/Happy Holidays!**

**Excerpt:**

“Hah! You call that drinking?!” Rose went pale as she heard her attendant’s voice bellow across the tavern. “Circadian warrior? More like Circadian Lightweight!”

“Aaaah! Get down from table!” Rose ran to her drunken pupil. She was in no condition to get her home this late. At this rate, they would have to make camp in the woods and hope that the man-beasts were not out. “ _What am I going to do with you_?!”

“ _Oh, Rose! Just in time to see me drink these bastards under the table!_ ”

“No,” Rose grabbed her hand and started to pull her down. “ _What you need to do is get off the table and sober yourself! It’s a long way home!_ ”

“Heeeee,” Maria fell onto her and poked her nose, her voice turning suggestive as she spoke. “ _Did you talk to your Circadian Prince?_ ”

“ _You are impossible!_ ”

“Is everything alright?” Ozma walked up behind them.

“King will have to be jealous,” Maria grinned wickedly. “King is not High Druidess’ first kiss.”

“Maria, this one has never ki-,“ the redhead was cut short as her attendant pressed a long kiss to her lips. Rose fought to push her away and when she finally freed herself, Maria fell into her, hanging limply from her. “ _Maria, what is wrong with you?! This is unbecoming of a Druid! Behave yourself!_ ”

“Zzzzzzz…”

“Th-this one is sorry for attendant’s rudeness,” Rose stammered as she tried to hold her up. “ _Why are you so heavy?!_ This is first happening!”

“I think… our spirits are probably much stronger that yours,” Ozma said as he tried to push the image from his mind. “I can help you carry her.”

“Nonsense,” Rose refused stubbornly. “Is my problem. Will be reprimand in morning!”


	11. When It Hits the Fan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, man, have I had a past two weeks! My roommate got COVID and I’ve had to isolate. Thankfully, I came back negative, but I was rewarded with… bronchitis and a number of other breathing complications -_- Fan-tastic! Also, seems I have a birth defect and I didn’t realize the world DOES NOT look like TV static and apparently the god awful tinnitus I’ve had since birth is part of it O_o The more you know!
> 
> Welp, there’s a lot going on in today’s chapter, so let’s get this story moving!

“You were at a Freak club?!” A tall chiseled man slammed his hands against the desk, causing both Ruby and the headmaster to jump. “What the hell were you girls doing there?”

“Now, calm down, Jim-“

“Oscar, don’t you dare tell me to calm down,” James Ironwood growled at the darkly dressed man. As soon as Ruby had arrived at school, Ironwood had dragged both of them to Oscar’s office. “My daughter is _missing_ and I need to find out where she is! Ruby, if you know-”

“I didn’t see her leave,” Ruby cried out and looked to the headmaster. It was true. “I got upset and left early. Snow can tell you! We didn’t even know it was a Freak club until she told us. She made sure we were safe and then we had a misunderstanding.”

“What _sort_ of misunderstanding?” Ironwood glared at Oscar. “Something your demon spawn would come after my daughter for?”

“I sincerely doubt that, Jim,” Oscar clasped his hands together with a sigh.

“We mistook her for an Elite and I didn’t like being watched,” Ruby sagged in her seat. “So I left… and that was when Weiss attacked me. Snow saved me and then we went straight to my house and she watched over me. I-I didn’t even know Penny was missing. I’ve been at the hospital with Yang and staying at Headmaster Pine’s. No one told me!”

“You said Weiss?” Ironwood glowered at her and she nodded. “Both Weiss and Snow were at the same place at the same time, fighting each other?”

“Uh, yes?” Ruby gave them a confused look. “Is that weird for some reason?”

“Did you know about this, Oscar?” Ironwood hovered over him dangerously.

“Yes,” Oscar leaned back in his seat. “Or I had an idea, at least. There have been sightings of both girls and I had been wondering when their paths would cross again.”

“So wait,” Ruby cut in. “Snow and Weiss _do_ know each other? Weiss knew her name but she didn’t recognize her.”

“Of course not,” Ironwood muttered to himself in his aggravation. “Snow certainly didn’t look the way she does now back then. That’s for damn sure. The last time I saw her, I barely recognized her. Everything down to her personality was different, like _that woman_ completely reinvented that monster.” He looked at Ruby and asked another question. “What happened when they fought?”

“Snow said that Weiss ran away,” Ruby thought hard to recall that night. It was still such a blur. “She didn’t kill her.”

“Miss Adel said that Miss Polendina left in search of Miss Rose,” the headmaster explained calmly. “If they crossed paths, there is a good chance that they are together.”

“Then I don’t have any god damn time to waste,” Ironwood stormed toward the door.

“Jim,” Oscar called his name sternly. “Please leave this to Snow and myself. Miss Schnee was rather fond of your daughter and respected you rather highly. If there’s any semblance of humanity left inside her, I doubt that she has hurt her. We will find her.”

“Then you’d better pray that you find her before I do…”

**ooOOoo**

“No way,” Coco gasped. “Is that what took so long?” Ruby had texted Coco this morning and told her that she wanted to talk to her about something, but she hadn’t imagined it would be this. “I was thinking we were gonna’ be talking about something spicy, but this works too.”

“I, um, that’s not _why_ I wanted to talk to you,” Ruby fidgeted nervously. “But this seems a bit more important than my problems... Headmaster Pine said you knew and you didn’t tell me?”

“Ruby,” Coco gave her a reassuring smile. “Penny does things for attention sometimes, and she’s also notorious for getting lost. You had a lot going on this weekend and we thought it would be better if we looked around to make sure she was really missing first. We didn’t want to add to your stress.” Ruby furrowed her eye brows and tears welled up. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. You’re gonna’ shut down and blame yourself, when it’s not your fault.”

“But if I hadn’t left…”

“If I had told her to stay,” Coco cut in. “Or if I had just trusted Snow to go after you from the start. See? We can both take blame, but that doesn’t change that we didn’t know it would happen...”

“He’s gonna’ kill Weiss though,” Ruby sighed and sagged into herself.

“And you care about that why?” Coco’s voice was full of disbelief. “She tried to kill you and she’s _never_ been nice to you. She’s dead and that’s where she belongs.”

“You don’t understand, Coco,” Ruby slumped over and buried her face in her arms. “Weiss and I used to be close and then she got hurt. We were inseparable before that and I…”

“You what?”

“…I really liked Weiss…” Ruby’s eyes shifted away in shame.

“I mean, I get that. It takes a special person to even- wait,” the fashionista’s eyes grew to the size of saucer plates as she was metaphorically slapped with a realization. “You… _liked_ Weiss? Probably-asexual-definitely-not-lesbian-but-has-the-hots-for-one-Ruby Rose _like-liked_ Weiss Schnee?”

The resulting sound was a long whine, as Ruby tried to meld herself into her surroundings. This was why she’d never told anyone about it. Yeah, they’d been young back then, but Ruby thought she had enough of an understanding to know if her feelings were different from just being friends. Over time, she’d come to realize that they were exactly what she’d thought, but with how things had turned out, it never would have happened. Ruby had liked the Weiss she met – not the one she became, so she would forever treasure those memories.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Ruby sighed to herself once more.

“I mean, of course it does,” Coco scoffed at her. “You clearly have a type.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The crimson-coalette growled back. “Weiss and Snow are nothing alike!”

“What about the Weiss from back then?” Coco raised a brow and crossed her arms smugly. “Any similarities there? I almost guarantee there are.”

“…”

“So there are,” Coco grinned triumphantly. “Care to elaborate?”

“No, not really,” Ruby tried to ignore her, but she could feel her friend’s eyes weighing down on her. “Weiss’ eyes were always so captivating. I always knew I was the only one she was looking at and I felt… not trapped, but like I belonged there... I could always tell what she was thinking, or at least feeling. She was never good at hiding her emotions, which was weird because everyone else said she was emotionally dead… and she’d get shy whenever I said something nice or complimented her. It was like no one else’s opinion mattered.”

“Aw, that’s so cute!”

“…and then there’s the gloves thing…”

“Gloves?” Now that Coco thought about it, she hadn’t seen either girl with them off before. Even hand washing had been a private affair for Weiss – something about not wanting to touch filth. Was Snow a germaphobe too?

“Snow told me that she wasn’t allowed to touch people when she was growing up,” Ruby explained calmly. “It’s a force of habit for her, but she takes them off when we’re alone. Weiss used to do that and I know that Snow knows her. I was wondering if they were taught that together. It’s a really strange habit to form, especially with the same conditions.”

“And what are those terms?” Coco was intrigued. The Schnee family, itself, were the only Atlesians in Vale. She’d heard about the strange quirks of the Atlesians, so it was interesting to learn about the aspects of both the Schnee’s practices and those outside them. 

“Weiss said family and lovers,” Ruby looked off distantly. “And I’m not sure where I fall.”

“You’ve _got_ to be kidding me,” Coco deadpanned at her. “She’s been having a really hard time keeping her hands, let alone her eyes, to herself when it comes to you. Frankly, I’m surprised she hasn’t actually made a move on you yet.”

“…” There was a strange lack of verbal reaction from Ruby, typically brought on when Coco teased her. Instead, the girl turned a shade of red resembling her namesake and tried to avoid meeting Coco’s eyes. There’d been something else bothering Coco since Ruby had arrived. Something very distinct and very new.

“Ruby,” the girl jumped at the sound of her name.

“ Y-yes?”

“What’s with that bandage on your neck?” Coco motioned to the gauze square taped suspiciously around one side of her neck.

“Bandage? Hahaha, what bandage? I don’t feel a bandage!” Ruby laughed nervously and waved her off. “You’re crazy!”

“Oh, really? Then you won’t mind if I just,” the older girl reached over the table toward her neck and Ruby leaned away. “Stop moving and let me see what’s underneath!”

“It’s nothing!”

“Nothing, my ass,” Coco growled, excited by the prospect of something juicy hidden beneath the cloth confines. “Either you let me see or I’ll video call your sister!”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Ruby stopped flailing around and they both glared at each other. To prove how serious she was, Coco took her phone out and brought Yang’s name up without looking… Just how many times had she practiced this exact threat to be able to do that?! Coco’s finger hovered above the video call button and Ruby caved. “Fine!”

“Yes!” Putting her phone away, Coco walked briskly around the table with a new sense of purpose. She sat beside her and started to strip the medical tape away gently. As it peeled away, Ruby buried her face in her hands when Coco made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a giggle. “Oh, my!”

“Don’t laugh,” Ruby whined in response. She’d tried so hard to make it through the day without it being a big deal and she’d only just started.

“My advice?” Coco ran her fingers along the tape to reseal it. “Invest in some concealer. You’re pale, but not _that_ pale!” Ruby dared to look at her for a moment and rolled her eyes at the grin plastered across her face. “Sooo? Details?”

“You’re not gonna’ let me live this down, are you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Coco said sarcastically. “I’m not the one who became a hot girl’s chew toy overnight and still has the audacity to question the nature of the relationship!”

“Because she hasn’t been clear,” Ruby groaned out loud. “I thought maybe it was gonna’ happen, but then she bit me and freaked out really bad! I tried to tell her it was okay, but she ran and I haven’t seen her since last night!”

“Why would she freak out?” It was a genuine question. “It doesn’t even look like she bit you that hard. It’s like… sexy biting!”

“Ooooh my god, could you not call it that?” If she could just disappear into nothingness right now, that would be great.

“I’m calling it what it is,” Coco deadpanned. “And you can’t convince me otherwise. So?... How was it?”

“Ugh,” she just wasn’t going to let her past this. She considered trying to run, but that would almost guarantee Coco would get the others to gang up on her when she saw them again… so she answered. “I may…ik… it..ng…”

“Come again?”

“…I think I like biting because it felt really good and I made a noise and scared her and she ran away and I think she thinks she hurt me and now I’m panicking because she panicked and what if it I ruined it!!!” The redhead word-vomited all her fears in a single breathless sense, then took a deep breath. “God, I wanted her to do terrible things to me!!!”

And now it was even worse hearing those words come out of her own mouth! Coco was definitely never going to let her live this down. In fact, she could almost envision her own funeral – her friends gathered before her… and then there would be Coco. Regaling the tale of Ruby’s “First Horny”, as she would most likely call it, at her expense and her memorial would be filled with judging stares.

“Aw! How adorable,” Coco latched onto her with a hug and greeted her with a shit-eating grin even rivaled Yang’s more impish nature. “Now you finally get to enjoy the blessing of being horny!”

“It sucks!”

“Well, hunny, that’s what you’re supposed to do…”

“I’m being serious, Coco!” Ruby swatted at her arm as Coco laughed. “She freaked out and now she won’t talk to me! I don’t even know when she left. She was already being weird about being close to me before bed, but this isn’t anywhere near the same. She reads my messages, but she won’t respond to them.”

“Have you figured out what she is yet?” The sudden switch in tone caught Ruby off-guard. She’d been giving it a lot of thought, but she wasn’t any closer to where she’d started.

“She avoided it when I asked,” Ruby shifted uneasily.

“Well, I’m gonna’ go with Werebeast,” a voice came from above them and suddenly Nora was hanging upside down from the tree above their picnic table. She shoved a bunch of chips into her mouth and crunched away at them, swinging herself by her legs.

“Uuuh, when, exactly, did you get here?” Coco even paled at her sudden presence. Nora just had a habit of showing up out of nowhere sometimes, which tended to throw people off. Ren was the group’s designated ninja-friend, not the over-the-top Faunus… Side note: People were often very surprised to learn that Nora Valkyrie wasn’t human. If only humans knew the pain-staking amount of time she put into her appearance.

“Ummm, we got here somewhere around _I think I like biting_ ,” Nora stopped to shoot a wink at Ruby and Ruby buried her face again. “Nice, by the way, Ruby! Nice! You’ll make your wolf very happy, one day!”

“Ugh!”

“So why a Werebeast?” Coco chuckled at the exchange between the two. It wasn’t anything the silver-eyed girl couldn’t handle – just a little fun at her expense.

“Well, why else would she be worried about biting her?” The Venetian blonde popped a single chip into her mouth to emphasize her point. “Vamps can’t run around in the daytime, like her, and _we_ can’t turn people.”

“Can verify!” Velvet’s voice came from higher up in the tree and they all honed in on the rabbit girl. How had they not noticed either of them?

“Oh my God, can this get any worse?!” Ruby groaned to herself. “Is anyone else here?!”

“Wait…” It sank in on Coco what her childhood best friend had just said. “What do you mean _can verify?”_

“No, we figured it was Girl Talk since it was just you and Coco,” Velvet called down with a grin, ignoring Coco’s distressed question. “Nora sent Ren on a mission to distract Jaune.”

“And that was?” Ruby let the question hang, waiting for them to fill her in.

“No, seriously,” Coco tried once more, though it seemed everyone was tuning her out at the moment. “Velvet, do you just go around biting people?”

“To grab the purple folder from my locker,” Nora said excitedly and Ruby froze.

“And why wasn’t I arou- stop ignoring me…”

“You know they’re both colorblind, right?” Ruby started to panic internally at the thought of both boys tearing apart Nora’s locker. “Like, literally diagnosed.”

“I know,” Nora let out a series of low and menacing laughs. “That’s what makes it so… evil!”

“That’s so messed up,” Velvet giggled, further adding to Coco’s evidence of this new sadistic side that somehow gone under her radar. She was Velvet! Velvet was the soft bunny!!! What was even!!! “They’re gonna’ be a while.”

“That’s the point.”

“Hold up! Rewind! Are you guys just _seriously_ gonna’ slide past that?!” Coco shrieked. How could they ignore the fact Velvet had actively tried to turn someone at some point?!

“They’ll be fine. Ren realized what was going on,” Velvet brushed off what she assumed to be Coco’s concern. “Nora marks them in a special way for Ren. He’ll probably just play along for a while and then suddenly _remember_ how to tell them apart.”

“What kind of monster do you take me for?” Forgetting to wipe the chip dust from her fingers, Nora pressed her hand to her chest in mock offense. “I’d never put my Renny through that!... At least, not willingly.”

“You guys are so mean to Jaune,” Ruby sighed. “…and me…”

“So,” Nora clapped her hands together. “Ruby. Horny. Girlfriend. Horny Were…wolf?”

“Why are we back on this?” Ruby threw her hands up. “I thought we moved on from this!”

“One,” Coco held up a single finger and took control of the conversation. “You came to _me_ for advice and you know how nosy Nora can be,” Coco held up a second finger. “And two, you know none of us know how to move on, and while were on that subject: Velvet! For the love of the Gods, you can’t just say you tried to turn someone and think I’m going to just let that slide!”

“Ooooo, Velvet’s in troubleeee,” Nora sang out, instigating things further. Sometimes, she gave Yang a run for her money when it came to fueling the fire, but Ruby knew better. They all did. Yang was the queen of that castle and Nora had relinquished the title a long time ago, though not without dispute. “Doing things with people other than Cocoooo!”

“It’s not like that between us and you know it, Nora!” The rabbit-girl huffed, catching Coco’s hurt expression. “Oh, don’t give me that look,” Velvet crossed her arms in her own irritation. “I should be the one that’s upset at you for forgetting! What if I _had_ been a Were and you forgot!”

“I highly doubt that I’d forget something like that… but you’ve _never_ bitten me.”

“We were like seven or eight and we were playing Cats & Dogs! You were the cat and I took it too far,” Velvet frowned, especially when Nora let out a snicker. Truth be told, even Ruby found the mental image of a little Velvet and Coco running around on all-fours silly, let alone Velvet being rough with _anyone_. She was a cream puff and she hit about as hard as one! “I was upset for days! I thought I turned my best friend into a monster and you just shrugged it off like it was nothing!”

“I’ve never thought that...” The light-hearted tone of the entire conversation changed in that moment and Coco spoke quietly. They held each other’s eyes for a moment – a conversation between them only they understood. “Never about you…”

“A-anyway,” Velvet shrank away from the awkwardness between them and pulled nervously at one of her ears. It was a habit she’d had ever since she was a child and one of her biggest tells when she was uncomfortable with something. This was obviously a conversation meant for them in private and even Nosy Nora decided to steer clear of it. “I don’t think Snow is a Were.”

“I’m sticking to Ruby’s girlfriend being a Werewolf and she’s probably afraid she’ll turn you,” Nora took the hint and came to Velvet’s rescue, offering everyone the much need escape from the thick tension. “So this sound you made…”

“Oh my god, not important!” Ruby was almost certain she would look like a tomato through the rest of school today. “All that matters is that she thought she hurt me… and she is _not_ my girlfriend!”

“Not yet…” Velvet made a distant comment - the last few minutes of conversation still weighing on her.

“Not you, too!”

“Ruby, if you want some real advice, _without_ the teasing,” the rabbit sent a glare at the other two to emphasize her seriousness. “Then _talk_ to Snow about it. Corner her if you have to.”

“…Should I be concerned that your advice is starting to sound _a lot_ like Coco or Nora’s?”

“ _Sometimes_ , and that’s a _big_ sometimes,” Velvet emphasized the word heavily. “They give the right advice!”

“But she’s going to keep avoiding me because she thinks she hurt me.”

“Did she?”

“Not even close,” the teen blushed as she recalled how it felt. Surprising? Sure. But enthralling? Gods, yes!

“Then tell her that.” The advice was simple enough and made sense. “If you already know the problem, the best way to get her to talk to you is to let her know. Between the four of us, none of us will ever know what it’s like to have a human partner and potentially turn them just by doing perfectly normal things.”

“But what if she still doesn’t talk to me?”

“Zzzzzzzzzzzzz!”

“Nora,” Velvet shouted. “You’re being very rude and Ruby’s coming to us for advice!”

“No, she went to Coco for advice and that was exciting,” Nora yawned. “And I’m sorry, but you guys were starting to sound like this new ambient soundtrack I’ve been falling asleep to. It’s called The Sounds of Useless Lesbians.”

“I’m not useless!” Ruby defended herself.

“But you _are_ a lesbian now?” Coco chuckled in amusement.

“Ugh! Why do you guys have to make everything so difficult?!”

“Why haven’t you just thought about the obvious?” Nora shrugged. “You’re having a meltdown over Snow not responding to some text messages, when she might just be busy… She had a life before you, you know.”

…Did she?...

**ooOOoo**

“I had to see it for myself,” Ironwood leered at Snow, who sighed in irritation. “Miss Rose said you were in town.”

“My intention was not to stay for long,” Snow fidgeted with the rim of the tumbler sitting on the bar. Originally, she’d come back to Junior’s to distance herself from the situation at home. “But fate seems to have other plans for me, I see.” She downed the last of it – something dark and nameless with a cheap burn…

“Your sister has my daughter,” Ironwood snatched her by her collar and lifted her up, alarming Junior’s staff. “She disappeared while looking for Ruby at this Freak bar!”The bartender from the other night had been serving her again and she hoped that one of these days, she’d be able to walk through Junior’s door under less exciting circumstances… She’d have to leave him a really good tip for all his troubles… He’d even learned Atlesian for her!

“It’s alright guys,” Snow waved down the bouncer the bartender had called over. Ironwood was notoriously powerful Elite and wielded some of the most powerful Lightforge weaponry. There was a reason he had been chosen to mentor Winter when they were separated and Snow didn’t want to risk an all-out war in the middle of Junior’s.

To the local Inhumans, Junior’s wasn’t just some Freak bar that popped up overnight. It was so much more than that. Even if Snow wasn’t overly fond of Inhumans, its patrons were those who sought to reconnect with humans in a positive light and proved that it was possible. It gave her a little bit of hope in an otherwise hopeless world. Even the least well-behaved Child of Night respected Junior’s No-Nonsense policy.

“What proof do you have that Winter has her? Other than Winter, there was no one else with Ruby when I found her.”

“Your sister has done nothing but harass Miss Rose since you conveniently went off-grid,” Ironwood threw her back into her chair and Snow readjusted her collar. “I’m not sure how she’s come back. I saw her cremated with my own eyes, yet we have reports, videos, images, and a number of sightings all over the place! Left unchecked, that girl will go after whatever is important to Ruby… and my daughter is _very_ important to that girl.” He cast a look at everyone, including Junior. “I will tear this city apart if I have to, but I will find my daughter… and I will take her back by any means necessary.”

Snow’s phone buzzed at that moment and she checked it as Ironwood delivered his speech. This wasn’t good at all. James Ironwood was normally a very rational, clear-headed man, but considering his circumstances, she supposed he had every right to be upset. Someone had dared to kidnap the daughter of one of the most powerful men in Vale, but sightings weren’t enough proof… Winter wasn’t _that_ far gone, was she? Snow opened her messages and her heart sank.

 _“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about last night.”_ Snow bit her lip and looked away, but it vibrated in her fingers again. _“Please don’t run from me… I don’t know what I did, but I’m sorry.”_

“Are you even listening?”

“Yes,” Snow sighed and shoved the device back into the inside pocket of her jacket. “I can go back and try to retrace her steps – see what Zwei can pick up. In the very least, I will be able to determine whether or not Winter is responsible.”

“I don’t care _who_ is responsible,” Ironwood slammed his hand on the counter and Snow mentally sighed at the display of aggression. “I care that she gets found and those responsible are held accountable for, and right now, that looks like your sister! Fix this… or I will!”

“Right…” Watching as he stormed out of the bar, Snow replayed the previous nights events. Today was already off to a fine start and Oscar had even asked her to keep a low profile, which meant abstaining from feeding Zwei... Which meant she was weaker… On the bright side, Winter had been astoundingly weak the other night, which meant she was most likely aware she was being watched.

_“I can’t have you out in the open, especially with Zwei. People are looking for you. Not good people either.”_

Heh, Oscar didn’t have to tell her twice. The Schnee always had tabs on her, even if she managed to slip under the radar. Ironwood finding her here was proof enough, which made her wonder just how long it would be until her family came knocking… She had a lot to get done in a very short amount of time if she wanted to get out of here before they started holding Ruby above her head again. It was funny how something she loved so much was her biggest crutch… and then there was Zwei…

The strange entity had attached itself her due to her own selfishness and it had taken so much time and effort to learn how to make him manageable. Even now, he still often disobeyed her, but it wasn’t her that he was obeying. The creature adored Ruby… and Ruby had saved her from him. Ruby just didn’t remember her that way and Snow was so thankful for it. A terrified and weak Schnee, haunted by a monster and plagued with disability? Zwei had been the answer to all her problems, but he’d also been more than she bargained for… The Master had seen to it that she learned to manage it, and the price?

_“You will never be a part of Ruby Rose’s life again. Not as yourself and not as who you will become.”_

“White, follow,” Junior’s gruff voice interrupted her thoughts and she followed him into the back.

The back area was a series of corridors and rooms. Some were the spare bedrooms, others included the kitchen, a storage area, and a staircase that led to his office. As they climbed the staircase, the décor changed to something of foreign colors – red and gold against plaster white backgrounds and oblong columns.

“Something I should be aware of?”

“The last time I was here, Ruby Rose was in the building with friends.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “I recall.”

“It seems that James Ironwood’s daughter vanished and they suspect the Ice Queen is responsible,” Snow sighed. “I did have an altercation with her over Miss Rose that night.”

“I see,” Junior hummed in thought. “There were some reports of her being in the area at the time and a strange phenomenon occurred where an entire block was frozen over in mere minutes. Was that a result of your fight?”

“Yes…”

“I see,” he tapped his fingers against his desk. “You should be more careful. Human remains were found a few blocks away from there – wounds consistent with a vampire feeding. It’s put us on the radar, so I expect we’ll be getting more unpleasant visits soon. If you’re trying to stay off the grid, this may not be the best place for you to hang around. No doubt the White Fang and Fire Empress will start snooping around too.”

“Yeeeah, I was afraid of that,” Snow let out an aggravated sigh. “Can you point me to where the body was found? I’d like to at least scan the area for her unique energy trail. Maybe see if they did run into each other. Paint a picture of what happened.”

“Very well,” he began to write some directions down on a sheet of paper and passed it to her. At least, it was a familiar street name. It really wasn’t far from where she’d fought Winter, which made things seem far more bleak. “Take your time and stay out of sight. They’re tightening up security in the area and I’m hearing that Elites will be watching over different sectors… Ironwood’s right hand man has been put in charge of ours...”

“Clover?... Wonderful…” As if she needed another headache. If he was around, that meant the rest of his crew wouldn’t be far off either.

Several years ago, Oscar Pine had worked alongside the Schnee to come up with alternative methods to protect his students. Among them, UV lights had become a very popular method. Since Lightforge’s power came from the sun, it had been thought that they could apply UV rays directly to achieve similar results and it worked fairly well. It acted very well as a barrier and had an incredibly debilitating on those infected with Darkforge – the vampires being affected the most, since their bodies were almost pure Darkforge.

The overwhelming success of the project impressed Vale and they entrusted the Schnee with converting the city over to the UV lights, but that’s where it got problematic. The Schnee persecuted Inhumans and poorer sectors. They used false promises of protection and extorted entire sectors, placing mandates over them. If the Sector Chiefs did no bend to their will, they were left without protections until martial law was declared in an area, at which point, the Schnee Corps would force their hands… and what was all of this for? To herd Freaks all into one area – most likely Freak Haven, the sector Junior’s was in. But what did the safe haven matter if the entire sector was surrounded was surrounded by those that wanted their existences erased?

The whole thing was a nightmare and she couldn’t believe things had gotten so much worse since she’d left. Having Zwei as a part of her was probably what made her own family question her loyalty. What made it worse was that she’d even been trained by someone who used Darkforge and her father had claimed she was deviating from the path she had been born to follow… but what sort of path was that when no one had a common enemy. Everyone was fighting everyone, instead of focusing on a single goal. The Covens and the White Fang, the Schnee and its Elites, the Puritans and the other Faythful - there were even some lesser-knowns in play that were far bigger problems, but no one wanted to look at that. They were too busy at each other’s throats to see the big picture… and that’s where she came into play.

Reaching her destination, she sighed at the sight before her. Sure enough, there was still a huge bloodstain painting the sidewalk where the body been discarded. The City would be along sometime to clean things up, though she suspected Oscar had some sort of pull in preserving the crime scene the last few days. This sort of thing would have normally been power washed away by now to maintain the false sense of order the Schnee Corps had lulled Vale into.

“Zwei,” Snow spoke her familiar’s name quietly and waited. The sun setting, her shadow warped around her – two crimson eyes glowing from the darkness. “You picking anything up?”

_“It feels as if I am encased in ice. This Piress’ emotions are erratic. We should end this before she becomes too dangerous…”_

“I know, Zwei,” Snow left out a dejected sigh. She’d come here with a purpose. Having heard that a vampire with freezing powers had appeared, she thought she’d be a useful tool in combating the Fire Empress’ coven. What she hadn’t expected was to find out that this vampiress was her own flesh and blood and that she had gone mad.

“The girl that the Elite seeks… her scent is here, as well,” the shadowy wolf leapt from her shadow and sniffed around the area. “They disappear together.”

“Shit…” Maybe she could handle this before Ironwood got word that it was true. She’d have to figure out if there was a way to alter memories too. Actually, her partner might have a friend that could do that. True Inhumans were such strange and impressive beings when it came to their natural abilities. Vampires seemed to control the elements, while the beastbornes had more physical adaptations… and then there was whatever she was considered now.

In all honesty, she wanted to be able to give Ruby an answer – to tell her everything. There was nothing she wanted more than to live in the warmth and acceptance she had found in her all those year ago. However, she couldn’t give her answers that she didn’t even have. The simple fact was that every Schnee was born with their own unique curse, and in an effort to fix hers, Weiss Schnee had wrecked everything that had been going for her… along with Ruby’s own life.

The truth was that she had stolen the power that once slept within Ruby in order to find her own salvation and seeing Ruby struggle was a painful reminder that she’d stripped her of any form of greatness she would have ever achieved… and yet she still looked at her with the same affection she had all those years ago. It had only taken moments to reignite the spark that had drawn them together and she found herself addicted to Ruby’s presence again.

_“Danger…”_

“Well, well, well,” an ominous presence called from the rooftop of a nearby store. “I thought I sensed something familiar. You’ll have to excuse me, but I’m not sure if I’ve gotten stronger or you’re so pitiful that you’re already fading away.”

“I see you’re more coherent tonight…”

“Why yes,” the Ice Queen grinned, her teeth gleaming in the moonlight. “I’m flattered that you noticed. Word is that you’re looking for me.”

“I see word gets around fast,” Snow stared at her straight on. “But it’s more that I’m looking for someone that you have.”

“How rude,” Winter scoffed in mock offense. “There’s a certain decorum to be followed when approaching a lady about her companions, but I see etiquette is something they fall short on in whatever crude hole you slithered out of.” …the irony here…

“You and I seem to have a different idea of what companionship entails,” Snow grimaced at the statement and Zwei stepped in front of her protectively. “I don’t typically find myself kidnapping and forcing them into submission. I also try not to eat them…”

“But you _do_ eat them, don’t you?” Winter’s grin grew as Snow glared at her. She was already in a foul mood and Winter was really trying her patience. “Trying implies that you have. Tell me, how do you prefer them? Cold? I can assist you with that!”

“Winter,” Snow called seriously, jarring the vampire from her teasing. “Is she still alive?”

“That’s the second time you’ve called me that,” Winter matched her seriousness. “Where did you hear that name?” There was no reply from Snow, only the silence of the city. “An answer for an answer, Bandersnatch.”

“And that’s the second time _you’ve_ called me that,” Snow neither confirmed or denied her rumored alias. “You first.”

“Very well,” the vampire sighed. “If you mean Miss Polendina, I find that she makes a fine pet. Excellent company and she can actually hold a semi-intelligent conversation, unlike the other useless freaks of nature that seem to surround me.”

“You do know that you’re one of them, right?”

“Hah! Oh no, my Stygian Stray,” the vampire laughed hard. “I’m something far better than those mindless nulls… I have a purpose, and for that, maybe I’m willing to make a trade?”

“What sort of trade?”

“A life for a life,” Winter grinned and hot puffs of mist marked their breathes as the air grew colder around them. “Your pet for mine! It’s win-win!”

“No chance.” Zwei’s fur rustled to emphasized her displeasure. He set back on his haunches and let out a low, warning growl.

“You know, I’ve been trying to wrap my head around why you’re so attached to her,” the icy piress tapped her forehead a few times as if to jog her memory. “But we go way back and I just don’t recall seeing you around her. You though,” Winter’s eyes honed in on the wolf. “Are a sight for sore eyes…”

“I don’t think my relationship to her matters much, if this is all going to play out the same no matter what. Why do you want her?”

“You know she’s a Druid, right? What the Puritans call Witches,” Winter stated in an informative manner. “They hunted them to the brink of extinction because their blood can turn vampires into daywalkers… and I, for one, find myself having the _worst_ allergic reaction to sunlight, so I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this.”

“That doesn’t strike me as something you would need to _kill_ her for or am I missing something?”

“Are you saying you might be willing to work something out with me?” The vampire gave her an amused smile. “You _do_ like to live dangerously, don’t you? But alas, we don’t need any other vampires with that sort of power.”

“But you deserve it?”

“I deserve the world,” Winter’s eyes flared a sharp red as she shouted. “That girl took mine away, so I’ll take hers the only way I know how!”

“Winter…” Why did her name sound so painful coming from this girl? It somehow tore into her, but she couldn’t allow this to stand in her way – not when she’d come so far. “I can’t allow you to have Ruby’s blood… and I most definitely cannot allow you to kill her… Of that, I am certain.”

“What did you say?” Winter paled at the iconic phrase. There was no way… Everything was far too coincidental. In a blur, Snow disappeared, closing the gap between them. A bright glyph appeared in front of the dark clad girl and a blade that mirrored Winter’s own was dragged from within it. What was happening?!

“I only ever failed you before,” Snow loomed over her and Winter’s eyes grew wide. Had her eyes glowed with such a radiant blue last time? “But this is the only way I know how to honor you... _Auf Wiedersehen... Mein Schwester._ ”

“Winter!” As Snow’s blade closed in, a familiar figure appeared, using their body to shield the stark white vampire.

At the last moment, Snow diverted her blade, narrowly missing Penny in the process. The distraction afford Winter enough time to summon her own sword and she parried the attack, sending ice spikes into Snow’s stomach and shoulder with her free hand. Snow jumped back, deflecting several more and coughed hard, spraying blood into her hand. She’d made such a grave mistake.

Winter looked back and forth between Snow and the sword in her hand. Why hadn’t she noticed the strange glow of this girl’s eyes beneath the moonlight before? This girl possessed both Forges, but how?!... but even more pressing was another question that raged inside of her.

“Why do you have her sword?” Winter screamed in a bloody rage, ice spreading around her in a rage. “Why do you have my sister’s sword?! Answer me, you vile mongrel!”

A vicious icy wind whipped around them, smashing ice crystals into the buildings. Winter began to slowly approach Snow, who continued to expel blood. This wasn’t a good situation for her to be in. She’d sorely miscalculated Winter’s power based off of the other night and not taken into account that she may have been weakened… Just how many souls were inside of her? Winter loomed over her, eyes filled with disgust and lifted her chin with the end of her blade.

“Answer me,” her words with envenomed with hate. “Did you desecrate my sister’s grave?”

“Heh, desecrate?” Snow looked at her wearily. “I thought I was the blind one…” Zwei lashed out as Snow lost consciousness and fell forward. Suddenly, an explosion shook the area and flames billowed in their surroundings. Zwei caught her and took advantage of the commotion to make an escape.

“Not so fast!” Winter called out and pointed her sword toward them. Spikes of ice gathered around her, lining up with her aim. When she locked on, she released the energy holding them back, but something shattered them.

“Fancy seeing you here again, Frosty,” a smooth, low voice rang out above the roar of the flames. “I thought we felt something familiar.”

Winter turned around, shielding Penny behind her, and found the bull Faunus who had recently come into leadership in the White Fang. He was the one that often accompanied the Fire Empress and he wasn’t alone. On either side of him, a female Faunus stood just behind him, and several others began to gather around him. The one with feline ears cast a look in the direction that the shadow wolf had run in and Adam spoke to her.

“You see that, my darling?” He grinned and she nodded. “I guess the rumors are true, but we’ll have to save that for later.” He turned his attention back to the irritated vampiress. “So, how do we do this? Quick and easy?... Or slow and painful? I really do wish I’d taken my time, last time.”

“Heh,” Winter chuckled darkly to herself. As much as she’d love to entertain this, there was something else more important. “I’m afraid I don’t have time to play with you, tonight. I’m on a bit of a witch hunt, right now.”

“Are you, now?”

“Well, it’s really been more of a wild good chase,” Winter smirked as a frost covered the ground. “But you understand, right?”

“Don’t let her out of your sight,” Adam said lowly to his henchmen. “This one’s got a real nasty frostbite to her.”

“I prefer ice to fire anyway,” the Faunus with long hair tied behind her said and everyone aimed their guns.

“W-Winter,” Penny whispered and the feline Faunus’ ears twitched. Winter noted the peculiar reaction, but spoke quietly to Penny.

“Quiet, now,” Winter said as Penny drew closer to her. “The cat can hear you… Don’t worry. I still have this under control.”

“White Fang!” A lone man in white stood in the direction that Snow had fled. Several thudding sounds romped across the ground and several Schnee Corpsmen lined up behind him. “Cease all unlawful actions and lay down your weapons, immediately! You are being detained!”

“Heh, not a chance!” Adam snickered.

“Winter…” Penny pulled at the vampire’s sleeve.

“Still under control,” Winter mumbled.

“Fire!” Adam called out and his henchmen opened fire. Bullets started whizzing past them and Winter lifted an arm up. The frost on the ground suddenly jumped into the air, forming into a crystal-like snake that lunged at Adam and his henchmen. Many dodged out of the way, disappearing as a sea of mist washed over them, and suddenly Penny was alone.

Blinded by white coldness that prickled against her skin, Penny slipped along the slick road. Bullets fired around her and she tried to duck behind the first thing she could find. The groans of men rang out as they were slaughtered and something wet and red slapped across the ground in front of her. She jumped back and bumped into someone… the feline.

“Ah-hnnrgmmm!” The Faunus quickly covered her mouth and pulled her away, behind a blue mailbox. She positioned herself in front of Penny and held a finger in front of her mask, where her mouth would normally be. Without removing her hand, the Faunus looked around the box to see if she could make anything out around them. When it seemed the coast was clear, she dragged Penny with her until suddenly, the Faunus was struck with a familiar blade.

The Faunus jarred, freezing in pain and Penny gasped. The Ice Queen tore Penny away from her and pushed her behind her. There was something strange about the Faunus though. She seemed off… Winter grabbed the mask on her face and pulled it, but the face behind it was completely featureless. The figure turned dark and crumbled into a fine, dark powder that fell heavily to the ground. As the pile of ashes hit, it dissipated like a thin smoke…

Whose side was she on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lot to unpack here. Kinda’ wanted to flesh some characters out and get more into the action. Hopefully, you guys are beginning to see how the world is fitting together. The next few chapters will start to open up what happened in the past and Ruby will start coming into her own. Not sure about you guys, but I kinda’ enjoy the Winter/Penny dynamic as I write it. I have interesting plans for Blake too. She’ll definitely have more… personality… Anyway, see you guys soon! As always, let me know what you think!
> 
> German to English Translation
> 
> Auf Wiedersehen... Mein Schwester = Goodbye… My sister.


	12. Penny For Your Thoughts?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys! Wanted to do this update last week, but then last minute, I… rewrote half the damn chapter because it felt off. This is Winter/Penny-centric chapter that will offer some background on Winter’s relationship with Weiss. Anyway, let’s get on with the story!

_“Well, aren’t you two such lovely little girls?” At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, a young Weiss clung onto Winter, who stepped in front of her protectively. To Weiss, the world had gone dark before she could really even form memories and she only had her twin sister to guide her through it. Not that it even mattered that she knew they were twins. She didn’t even know what she looked like, so it was hard to imagine someone else being her mirror image._

_“Wh-who are you?” Winter’s voice came out shakily and she tried to fix it. She couldn’t let her true feelings slip. Weiss was already surprisingly in tune with her, but with her other senses heightened, it was hard to deceive her. “You’re not one of the servants.”_

_“No,” a woman in white stood before her, draped in a flowing robe. Despite the stillness of the air, her clothing billowed in the ethereal winds that carried them. Was she a ghost? Or maybe this was a dream. She folded her hands in front of her and offered them a sweet smile. “I heard that you have a wish and I’d like to help,” she leaned closer and her smile grew wider. Winter could make out the strange color of her eyes – bottomless black orbs, separated by two red rings, each outlining the iris and pupil. “Your family and I go way back!”_

_“Really?” Why hadn’t Winter ever heard of or seen this woman before then?_

_“Oh, yes,” the woman said sweetly. “You two have no idea just how special you are. Now tell me about this wish you have.”_

_“I…” Winter stopped herself when Weiss squeezed her arm and she squeezed back. “I want my sister to be able to see again. I’d do anything for her.”_

_“Anything?”_

_“Win…” Though her eyes were distant and unfocused, Weiss’ expression was clearly concerned. She hated when Winter got like this. It always felt like she was blaming herself for being the more fortunate one._

_“I’d do anything for you, Weiss,” Wintered gave her a reassuring squeeze. “You’re my baby sister. I have to protect you.”_

_“…We’re the same age,” Weiss huffed. “You only beat me by a few minutes…”_

_“Still older,” Winter muttered under her breath and Weiss furrowed her brow._

_“Girls, girls, no fighting,” the woman chuckled. “Now pay attention. I bet you two don’t know what it is that makes you special.”_

_“I’m not special,” Winter admitted. “Weiss is though. It’s what made her blind…”_

_“Oh no,” the woman reassured her. “You two are simply incomplete – two halves that never became whole. You feel empty when you’re apart, right?” The girls thought about it and even nodded in unison. “You only need to complete that connection. I can help you do that, but everything in this world has a price.”_

_“How much?”_

_“Oh, I don’t want money, Childe,” the woman’s smile was conniving in nature. “In fact, I only ask that you fulfill the prerequisite to awaken the power sleeping within the both of you.”_

_“So what do we have to do?”_

_“Did you know that every Schnee child born is a twin?” The woman asked._

_“Mommy has a twin too?” Weiss asked. Truth be told, they’d never know that. The only sibling they knew about was Aunt Summer, but she wasn’t real family. Their mom had just apparently been extremely infatuated with her when she had become a ward of the Schnee family._

_“Well, no,” the woman shook her head. “Your mommy’s twin… They joined together before they were born. But that’s also why she’s not special, like the two of you. You both made it this far and you’re still together, but you can both become so much more.”_

_“I like being here with Weiss,” Winter frowned. “I want us to be together, but not like Mom.”_

_“Same here,” Weiss held on tighter. “I need Winter and she needs me.” Winter blushed and touched her forehead to Weiss’. “I’m not going anywhere, Win. I’ll always be here.”_

_“That’s good. You know that twins are cursed with extreme luck, don’t you?” The girls nodded and she continued. “Then you should also know each family has its own variation. The Schnee have what is called Intertwined Fate. It means that what happens to one of you will undoubtedly happen to the other. You are one and the same, just as all the other twins born to the Schnee.”_

_“Then Winter will go blind?” Weiss gave her sister a fearful squeeze._

_“You have Lightforge Poisoning, don’t you?” The woman asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice._

_“Yes…”_

_“You are both already so different,” the woman stood and placed each of her hands on their heads. “I cannot take away what ails you, but I can liberate you from the shackles that Fate has bound you with.”_

_“Fate?”_

_“Yes, Fate has decided that you are unclean because you are of His bloodline,” she pressed a bony digit to the center of each of their chests. “But you each possess something right here that makes you unlike any other before you. Something that will unite you and mature as you grow.”_

_“Is it love?” Winter asked in awe._

_“…Yeah, sure,” the woman grimaced at her eagerness. Children were so gullible. “Fate will throw everything at you to stop it. I, however, believe that you will free Circadia from its own shackles. I only ask that in exchange for this freedom, you answer my call when the time comes.”_

_“Will Weiss be able to see again?”_

_“Heh,” the woman smirked. “It will not be immediate, but an answer will come in a most unexpected way.”_

_“Then yes!” Weiss stepped forward with eagerness. “I’ll do whatever I need to in order to make sure she can see again. Any price is worth it!”_

_“Hahaha, you remind me of another child who once received my blessing,” she patted Winter’s head. “You wear your love just as openly as he did, and yet, that was his own undoing. All for a love that escaped him. A word of caution, child: Fate does not take kindly to those who live outside her grasp. You are both each other’s greatest strength and weakness… Take care.”_

…She never did tell them what her price was…

**ooOOoo**

“What the hell was that out there?!” Winter stormed through the door to her safe house with Penny in tow. “Why did you get in the way?!”

“Excuse me?!” Penny argued back, but Winter towered over her dangerously. “What did I do other than save you?”

“I had everything under control…”

“Not really,” Penny doubled down on her stance. “I get that you’re mad that you lost Snow, but that Elite was Clover!”

“Clover?”

“The Disabler Elite?” Penny asked in disbelief.

“No?” Winter shrugged. “This is important why?”

“You had Lightforge before, so that wouldn’t have mattered back when you were human, but you’re a vampire now,” Penny tried to explain. Sure, it might not have mattered that much _before_ she died, but that was exactly the point! “He specializes in disrupting Darkforge, which I’m not sure if you realized, is infused into your body now! It’s actually a _good_ thing the White Fang showed up when they did. Side note: We should probably make sure that we weren’t followed. If he was there, I almost guarantee Marrow was in the area.”

“Marrow?”

“Yes,” Penny nodded with urgency. “Clover put together what’s known as the Ace Ops. When we… lost Team STRQ… the Schnee Corps needed a new one to replace them. STRQ was the headmaster’s personal team, but my dad said that he felt it was Headmaster Pine was at fault for what happened to them. Since the Schnee Corps wanted Clover so badly, he nominated that Clover take over under this new team. Unlike STRQ though, they’re completely influenced by the Elites… and they act like it too, even though the Inhuman members aren’t respected enough to be granted the honor of Elite uniforms…”

“Right… Can’t let the animals think they’re equals,” Winter muttered to herself, but jumped at the glare Penny shot her. “Or whatever it is that my father says…”

“Anyway,” Penny raised her voice as a sign of moving forward. “Marrow is a wolf Faunus, so he’s really good at tracking. I heard he once tracked a bee all the way to Atlas and back… because he was bored…”

“Atlas is _cold_ , Penny…” Winter squinted her as if to scrutinize her words.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can’t track scents!”

“Do I really need to explain why tracking a single bee through a country made almost entirely up of ice makes no sense?” 

“…oh,” Penny blinked. Now that she thought about it, Winter kind of had a point. “He was lying?”

“Was he trying to impress anyone?” The redhead sat there for a moment recalling when she’d heard him tell this story. Sure enough, she distinctly remembered several girls fawning all over him… He _was_ known for being a show-off, especially in front of the ladies. “I take it by your silence that I am correct.” With a smirk, Winter lifted her hand and several clumps of ice formed into miniature Beowolf-like creatures, alongside a small bird. They lined up in an orderly fashion, almost as if they were awaiting orders, nipping at each other occasionally.

“Behave,” Winter hissed sharply and they jarred still, though the bird picked at its wings. “Scout the area for any unwanted visitors and report immediately if you find anything.” As they scampered away, Penny grimaced at the confirmation that she had killed at least as many people as Grimm she had formed – probably more. The pallid piress noticed the shift in her behavior and sighed. “You could have escaped. I even told you to leave, yet you’re still here. At this point, I don’t think you have the right to complain about the way I operate.”

“I… know, but…”

“This is the order of things, Miss Polendina,” Winter stated simply, her crimson eyes examining her carefully. “I wasn’t exactly thrilled about my current diet, but I’ve had to accept that this is what I am now.”

“But isn’t there a way around it?” There had to be, right? “Like, that doesn’t require you to kill people?” A dangerous smirk played across Winter’s lips and she drew closer to her not-so-captive tagalong. When she was directly in front of her, she grabbed her collar and shot straight for her neck, stopping just short and lingered there. She couldn’t tell if Penny shivered from her breath tickling her neck or if it was nerves, but Penny shook either way and Winter laughed low in her ear.

“Heh, does this scare you?” Her voice was somehow both sinister and sultry.

“I won’t lie,” Penny swallowed thickly. “I don’t know what you’re going to do…” The vampire frowned and leaned back so that their eyes met. She lifted her chin and focused the redhead’s emerald orbs on her.

“You’re a little too filthy for my tastes.” Filthy? But that guy from the other night had been pretty gross. If he was anything to go off of, she couldn’t have been that picky. Penny took a look at herself, noticing the dirt and grime all over her skin…

“Right… I am pretty gross, right now… Well, at least I’ve got that going for me.”

“You should shower,” Winter rolled her eyes.

“Huh?” Did that mean she… _wanted_ to eat her?

“If you insist on staying at my side, then you must know that vampire or not, I am still a Schnee. I have an image to uphold.”

“Oh, right.”

“I suppose you could have some use,” Winter thought aloud. “Even if it’s something as mundane as being an emergency ration.” The words hit and Penny went pale. Winter had said that so dryly and her face was a perfect mirror. “Is something wrong?” Oh… oh!

“That was a joke!” Penny gave a nervous laugh. “You tried to make a joke!”

“Or we’ll just stick with _bait_ ,” the vampire rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Ruby will hear about this soon.”

“I’m not going to give you Ruby,” Penny huffed and crossed her arms.

“You won’t have to,” Winter chuckled to herself. “After tonight, she’ll come looking for me on her own.” Winter eyed her for a moment, muttering something to herself as she shook her head. She sauntered down the hallway and pushed a door open. Without turning around, she pointed into the room. “Wash yourself and then come see me.”

The vampire continued down the hallway and walked into a moderately sized room. It certainly wasn’t anything like what she’d grown up with, but it was acceptable. This cabin belonged to the family of someone she had known in school. Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black had been surprised, to say the least, when _Weiss Schnee_ had suddenly reappeared. They’d asked her so many questions, but she’d been unable to answer any of them. Questions like: How are you alive? Weren’t you cremated? But now she had her own and Zwei’s appearance raised so many of them.

Seeing him brought up memories she hadn’t thought of in a long time – the Lady in White being one of them. At the time, she’d thought she had simply been a dream, but shortly after their meeting, terrible things started happening to both herself and Weiss. It was like the Underworld itself was converging on them and they suffered several attacks.

A particularly bad one left Weiss having to be restrained for months until she was freed… and then Zwei appeared, constantly attacking her. The only thing she found stranger was that it almost seemed like all the other attacks stopped after that. Had he been the Fate that the Lady in White had been talking about?

Heh heh, the irony here. Her father hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with the details, but she believed that it was Zwei that ultimately killed her. The entire day was a complete haze and she’d blacked out, but she did remember seeing him at one point during the commotion. When she’d come to, they said Weiss was no longer part of their world and had foolishly given her life… in exchange for Ruby Rose’s…

If the Lady in White was right about Intertwined Destiny being their curse, that must have meant Zwei was here to finish the job. He was the Vale Bandersnatch and Snow was his new host. That must have been how she was targeting her so accurately. Zwei knew sensitive details about her, which made her emotions so easy to trigger. She’d have to play things smarter, otherwise her fate would be the same as her sister’s.

She closed her eyes and envisioned the sigil Snow had summoned Persephone’s Chrys with. A bold and bright snowflake-like symbol within a circle, Winter had worked hard on the design with Weiss. Most Sigilists had a unique identifying sigil, but because they needed to exist as one, they carefully crafted theirs together. How _dare_ that girl copy something they worked so hard on alter it as she pleased, adding what looked like arrowheads to empty spaces . Every aspect of that lowlife was carefully put together to create a cheap emulation of Weiss. She’d even gone as far as to place herself next to Ruby. This was an outrage.

Still, for all their similarities, there were large differences. Except for the incident when they were children, Weiss had never been able to use Darkforge. She was simply cursed with a Darkforge entity that followed her around. This Snow used both types of Forges, which was unheard of since the olden days. The only thing that made sense was that she was a surviving member of an Ancient Circadian clan, but that didn’t make any sense. After the Great Divide, the Ancient Circadians disappeared and Forgebearers could only use one or the other – not both.

Alright… so she’d determined that the two of them were separate entities. The new problem was figuring out what Snow was. She could try to research her, but that would prove difficult when she knew nothing about her origins. This left her with a couple of different options. Regardless of her situation, she knew this person would most likely be wherever Ruby was. That meant she could use Ruby’s naivety against her. Recon would take a while and she just didn’t want to spend the time on it, so she’d extract it herself. All she needed was to get Snow out in the open again. Capturing Penny might actually prove to be more beneficial than she thought.

Yes, that’s what she’d do. Ruby could wait. Getting in her way had already made her a nuisance, but Snow White’s latest sin had put a metaphorical nail in her own coffin. The revelation of Persephone’s Chrys was evidence enough. When Winter had asked their father about the blade, he had said that Weiss had been buried with it… That meant that Snow had the audacity to desecrate Weiss’ grave!... Weiss’ grave…

Because she was supposed to live on as Weiss, Weiss had never gotten a proper burial and Winter had never seen her grave. Having to live on as her meant that she never got proper closure for her sister’s death, but now that she thought about it, was this how things were supposed to be? She’d only accepted things as they were because of her family’s unique circumstances, but nothing about this was right. Even her father’s way of phrasing it was strange, but she’d never questioned it before. She’d never had a reason… so just maybe.

_“I thought I was the blind one.”_

The flame where Winter’s heart had once been flapped violently, accompanied by a queasy feeling in her stomach. What were the chances that… No, that was impossible. Zwei had simply just found another host, right? He probably told her everything about them. Yeah, that had to be it. The glowing eyes were just a trait that Faunus had. Yeah, she’d put her plan into action and just find out this girl was some sort of Faunus of something… a Faunus that somehow figured out how to use Lightforge… Gods, she sounded more and more ridiculous with each passing second.

_Knock knock knock_

“Winter?” The vampire jarred herself from her thoughts and Penny flinched, ducking back behind the door. The freckled girl was clad in only a towel, hair still slightly damp, and skin still puffy from the hot water that cleansed her of all the dirt and grime. She was definitely more presentable, albeit very, very naked. “Um, my clothes are gone.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Winter dismissed her. “One of the Grimm servants most likely took those filthy things. It seems that they are sometimes able to resonate with my thoughts, though I’ve not gotten that entirely down,” Winter sped over to the closet and started going through it. She looked back and forth between Penny and the various items. Sometimes a sparkle entered her eye and she set an article aside, while others times her brow furrowed and she put the item in question back.

“I no longer need anything in here,” the vampire explained absently. “I’ve found that the Elder’s Cloak is rather useful for keeping myself clothed. If I can imagine it, I can create it.” As unhappy as Winter seemed with being a vampire, Penny had to admit that there was something cute about the sparkle in her eye at the mention of her creativity. Maybe this was an unexplored avenue that Winter would have enjoyed if she’d had an ordinary life? “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Penny tried to hide her smile but failed.

“A-anyway,” Winter tried to reel in her excitement. “We’re a similar size, so you’re free to wear anything that you like.”

“Hey, Winter,” a strange thought crossed Penny’s mind. “Elder Cloaks are _made_ of Darkforge, right?”

“Yes,” the vampire nodded. “Why do you ask?”

“Darkforge disappears when you lose consciousness, right?” Winter nodded, though she failed to see where this was going. “So if you passed out,” Penny tried to let the vampire fill in the blanks on her own, but she didn’t seem to pick up on it. “Then wouldn’t you be…”

“Be what?”

“Um, nevermind… it’s not important…” For the love of Circadia, she was so naïve. Did she not realize she’d be naked? Enemy or not, this vampire was her own worst adversary and needed to be protected from herself.

“Whatever,” Winter rolled her eyes, displeased with the lack of answer. “Just get on with it.”

There were several things in the closet, but they all stuck to the traditional white and blue Schnee color scheme. In the end, she decided on a white top with black accents and a long, solid blue skirt. She went to change, but then froze when she realized she wasn’t alone… Was she going to watch her?

“Um…” Penny panicked a bit. “C-can you turn a-around?”

“Don’t you commoners change in the Girl’s Locker Room?” When Penny didn’t answer she sighed to herself. “Of course not… Ironwood. They _would_ give you special treatment, wouldn’t they…”

Penny humphed and turned around, dropping the towel. It brought a smile to Winter’s lips, watching her try to prove her wrong about being given favoritism. She did have to admit that Penny was more attractive than she seemed to think she was and she should have had more confidence in herself. Wouldn’t that be something to see in the future? Penny finished putting on the different articles of clothing and turned to face, blushing in her own embarrassment.

“Th-thank you,” the freckled girl nodded to her and gathered her towel before she made her way to the door. “I’ll head to bed now.”

“I just gave you those clothes,” Winter spoke with authority and the door slammed shut in front of Penny. “Regardless of whether I still wear them or not, I won’t have you ruining them. Use the bed.”

“B-but where will you-“

“Take a look outside,” Winter crossed her arms and Penny looked at the open window. “Does it look like I’m going to sleep any time soon?”

“O-oh, that’s right…” They operated on very, very opposite sleeping schedules and it was still very, very dark out. She wondered if maybe Winter felt lonely at night. Maybe that was why she was being so kind.

“We’ll switch… but if you try anything while I’m sleeping…”

“I’m not a guy… What would I do?”

“What does that have to do with killing me in my sleep?”

“N-nevermind!” Penny stammered. Her mind was definitely in unsavory places right now. She needed to stop this. Just what sort of demon had that shower released in her! She just needed some sleep and then she’d go back to being her usual self. That was it! She was just tired and Coco was rubbing off on her.

“Now sleep,” Winter took the towel from her and pushed her toward the bed. When her legs caught the side of the mattress, she made a surprised sound as she fell back and Winter threw a blanket at her. The vampire wandered over to the window, letting the towel fall gently into a nearby basket and thumbed over the hilt of her sword.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Did you just…” The vampire spun around to look at her with a mortified look in her eyes and Penny internally pumped her fist. Yang would have been proud of that one.

“You look lost in thought,” Penny contained herself and tried to sound thoughtful. “I have time to listen.” Penny approached her and Winter felt a warmth spread through her as this strange human placed her hand on her own. “I’m not going anywhere.”

_“I’m not going anywhere.”_

Winter’s flame wavered once more. Maybe this was the new norm she’d experience when her metaphorical heart skipped a beat. Would she really want to hear about her thoughts after everything she’d put her through? Prisoners didn’t usually care about their captors, though she supposed _prisoner_ wasn’t quite the right word for her anymore.

“I-I mean, only if you want to.”

“What do you know about the Schnee family and their goals?”

“Ummm,” Penny thought for a moment. Was this a trick question? “They aim to contain Darkforge and kill the Originator.”

“Yes, but why?”

“Well, because he’s dangerous and killing him would get rid of _all_ the vampires. He’s where it all started.” It seemed obvious enough, but with the way that Winter was blinking at her in disbelief, she guessed there was more to it.

“Is that what they teach at Signal? I would have thought that even your father would let you in a bit more. You seemed more informed than others.”

“So… killing him wouldn’t help?”

“Hmmm,” Winter thought for a moment. “Well, I’m not saying that it won’t. Frankly, we don’t have any proof that it wouldn’t, but what I’m saying that the motivation of the Schnee family isn’t as noble as you might believe. The Corps believes they are fighting for humans, and in most cases, this is true, but the truth is that all of this is our fault.”

“What?!”

“They tell you that the Schnee of the old took up arms against the Originator and his hordes of vampires to preserve humanity, but the reality is that we didn’t care about other humans. We cared that he was an embarrassment.”

“Embarrassment?”

“We call him Ozpin now, but back in the days of old, he was known as The Great King… Ozma Schnee.”

“Hoooooolyyyy shit!!! You guys are his kids!!!”

“I find your choice of diction rather distasteful, but no,” Winter grimaced at her word choice. Even as a vampire, she held language to a higher standard than many of the rest of her new kin. “As far as records show, he never had a child. We were simply cursed because our family produced him. It seems that we are charged with eliminating him, though we’d much rather keep it hidden. Still, our goals are much more selfish than the noble cause we parade around. We just sort of got lumped into a giant curse pile and it’s a firm belief that if we kill him, we will be freed. Incentive, I suppose.”

“Wait… _firm belief_ … You guys don’t even have proof that it’ll lift the curse?”

“I… I suppose not,” the vampire said thoughtfully. “It’s just what we’ve always been told.”

“But if he dies, it cures all vampirism, right?”

“I’ve wondered about that, actually. In order for him to exist, something else had to create him, right?” Penny nodded as she followed along. It did make sense to think that, but didn’t just mean they were an evolutionary development?... Oh… “I wasn’t bitten…”

“Excuse me?” Penny’s heart started to race at the thought. Was Winter saying that she was a not-so-living proof of vampire evolution?

“I was tortured and murdered by that bull Faunus, but I was never bitten… so what if I…” Winter swallowed and looked back out the window. “What if I’m just like him? What if there is no going back for me?”

 _“You remind me of another child who once received my blessing_. _You wear your love just as openly as he did, and yet, that was his own undoing.”_

“What if the same thing that created him, created me?” The vampire looked even paler than she’d started off. They’d been children who were offered a way to fix things. It hadn’t crossed their minds just how significant their exchange with that woman would become.

“Winter?”

“I’ve never told anyone this, but Weiss and I swore to each other that we would take it to our graves,” Winter held herself. “When we were small, we thought we met a ghost. We called her the Lady in White. I now believe she was one of the Witches of Old… What if someone like her made me like this or even made vampires? The Puritans said they were capable, so what if they were right? What if I’m…”

“Did something happen when you met her?” Penny climbed closer to the edge of the bed. It seemed like Winter needed someone to want to be in closer proximity to her. This was something sensitive for her.

“She said we would live outside of Fate and that an answer to Weiss’ blindness would come, then a vampire came after Weiss,” Winter lamented. “My sister regained her sight through this ordeal, but when Team STRQ slayed it, Weiss was left with Zwei, who kept attacking her. Our Father disowned her, claiming that we couldn’t have someone plagued by Darkforge as an heir. After that, she was sent to Oscar’s and we began to train with our instructor. I was surprised that our father permitted a Faunus to teach us, but Raven was an excellent teacher. During that time, Ruby’s mother tried to remove Zwei from Weiss and that was how we met Ruby and Yang.”

“And then Weiss died?” Winter nodded silently as an answer.

“That day is mostly a blur for me,” the ivory girl spoke distantly. “It was one of the rare days where our father requested my sister’s presence. We would switch places on those days, and if Ruby was there, I had to entertain her. I never understood why Weiss liked her so much. She was so childish.”

“No offense, Winter,” Penny interrupted. “But children are _supposed_ to be childish. It’s more concerning that you didn’t get to enjoy being a kid.”

“Right…” The room grew uncomfortably silent and Winter held herself. Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say when she was trying to open up. It hadn’t really occurred to Penny that she might not have realized just how different she was from the average person. “Well, by the time this all happened, Zwei had started attacking her less often. He somehow got more tame and she could even touch him. It turned out that he _really_ liked Ruby for some reason and even listened to her… Now that I think about it, his change in behavior lines up with when Weiss started to get along with her. Maybe that was why.”

“So you’ve just never liked Ruby?”

“Heh,” Winter looked down. She wasn’t exactly proud of this. “Ruby was there almost all the time and I hardly got to see my sister. We weren’t supposed to be in the same place, at the same time. Ruby got to see her nearly ever day, meanwhile I only got to see her during lessons.” Winter squeezed her arms hard, digging her nails into the cloth of her jacket. “She was my sister to protect. I made that deal for her. I spent all those nights chasing that beast away. It was my job, not hers.”

“But you and Weiss needed to expand your world,” Penny frowned. “It couldn’t just be the two of you forever. That would be so lonely.”

“Well, until Ruby came along, we only needed each other,” Winter snapped. “If we hadn’t been separated, it would have stayed that way too. No one knew the difference between us and they damn sure didn’t care, even the ones that actually knew there were two of us… and I was so certain that Ruby was just like them. I told Weiss that, but she said Ruby knew, so I told Weiss that I’d prove it. I told Weiss to hide in another room and she’d see that Ruby couldn’t was the same as all the others.”

“Oh… I guess you were right then.”

“Ha,” Winter laughed bitterly. “I was wrong.”

“But Ruby’s never mentioned any of this before and she keeps calling you Weiss…”

“Ruby told me right away she knew I wasn’t Weiss and even asked for my name… but before I could even say anything, the Lady in White reappeared. There was this bright light and suddenly she had claws. Weiss ran into the room and pushed Ruby out of the way and took a claw to the face. I remember getting hit and there was much blood around Weiss and Ruby had passed out. Zwei appeared and then everything went black… When I woke up, my father said that Weiss had given up her life for Ruby. Weiss left me and I had to be her all the time from then on… and Ruby became just like everyone else… I didn’t matter to anyone anymore.” Winter pressed a hand to the bridge of her nose and mutter to herself. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to even think for second she was different…”

Ooooooooooooh! The more the young Schnee spoke, the more it was becoming clear to Penny just how little she understood her own feelings, through no fault of her own. She was so preoccupied with becoming Weiss, that she had a hard time separating between what she was pretending to feel and what she actually felt.

“Winter,” Penny watched her recoil at the sound of her name. She was fairly sure the girl was still getting used to hearing it come from another person. “I’m worried that you don’t understand your own feelings…”

“I understand perfectly.”

“No,” Penny shook her head slowly. “Earlier, you said Ruby was childish, so I thought that was why you kept picking on her.”

“She is,” Winter scowled at her. “And that’s right.”

“No, Winter,” Penny smiled warmly. “You don’t have to convince me. I’ve been listening to everything you’re saying and that’s not it at all. Ruby validated both of your existence and then something happened to her memory. Whatever happened that day took your chance to be yourself away. You were already jealous Ruby was taking Weiss away.”

“Jealous?!” Winter shrieked. “How da-“

“You’ve always had to play Weiss, so you never had a chance to live and laugh with everyone as the real you,” Penny cut her off. She wasn’t done speaking and she was going to make sure that she listened. “Winter, has it even sunk in that you _don’t_ have to be Weiss anymore?”

“I… what?” Winter started to speak, but the very thought made it difficult to form words. Not be Weiss? That didn’t make any sense. She looked at Penny and her eyes filled with panic. Being Weiss was what she’d been raised to do. Without that, she was nothing.

“Winter…” Penny approached her and took her hands, looking at her dead in the eyes. “You’re not Weiss. You never were… and even if Ruby can’t acknowledge that, I am. They asked you to be her, but I think you’ve been doing it to keep her memory alive, haven’t you?”

“…”

“You’ve been so focused on honoring your sister’s memory that you haven’t really gotten a chance to work through it or even mourn her properly. You can’t be Winter, if you can’t let go.” Penny looked away for a moment and blushed. “So maybe… I was thinking, I could help you figure out who Winter is.”

When Penny looked back at her, Winter searched her eyes for any sign of treachery, but it wasn’t there. That queasy feeling, along with the wavering of her flame returned and she swallowed hard. What was this girl doing to her? She was literally just supposed to be bait, but she made things so… pleasant…

“I’m starting to question my own memory,” Winter admitted in shame.

“Over what?”

“I’m not sure, but something feels off,” Winter shifted awkwardly. “When things calm down, will you go somewhere with me?... I need to see something for myself. Something long overdue.”

“What?” Penny squeezed her hands warmly and that strange feeling flared up again. It was a stretch, but maybe her new companion was right. Things seemed just a little less bleak with her helping her decipher things and it felt less cloudy. She was safe to let into her world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mentioned I rewrote half the chapter. Pretty much, big parts of Winter/Penny’s convo get altered and the entire intro scene got completely changed. (It was originally an encounter between Weiss, Winter, and Zwei. I’ll probably save it for another chapter.) The Lady in White is a key character throughout the entire story and will constantly appear and be referred to all the way to the end. Different people will refer to her as different things until it’s revealed who she actually is in this world. I’m sure you’ve already realized which RWBY character she is. Anyway, so for Winter, Penny’s going to be trying to help her separate herself from Weiss and become her own person. I wonder which Winter would be more dangerous for Ruby and Co. – a mentally unstable avenger that lost their only purpose in life?... or a fully aware one that understands the extent of just how badly she was wronged? She’s starting to put things together, but she’s pretty much in denial. 
> 
> Anyway, next chapter, we do get another new character – an OC. You won’t learn her name for a while, but I’ve grown to like her the more I write her. She was originally designed for LF: Requiem, but I haven’t posted up that far yet for anyone to recognize her. Part of that is intentional because going that far is going to spoil the crap out of what’s in store for Ruby. This character’s revelation actually isn’t that far off from where Requiem is right now, but the difference is that in Requiem, Summer’s mother taught her about everything regarding their family, while Summer did not do this for Ruby. More of Requiem will be posted after we pass this segment.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This marks the beginning of Lightforge’s REDUX. I’ve posted the first few chapters to gauge what you guys think. My goal with this is to clean up the story and portray it in a more organized fashion. I have changed some details to better fit the story and reset the pacing. You’ll find that some things happen faster and other things happen more slowly.
> 
> One of my main issues what that I just felt that the characters were fairly bland or just didn’t have enough build up between each other to establish the relationships they had or were just too far out there. I wanted the characters to be more organic and genuine. I also wanted to answer some questions that remained almost 30 chapters into the story.
> 
> I admit that Lightforge started as just a past time, but it became something that I really enjoyed building and I really want to do it the justice it deserves. So, I’d like you guys to let me know if you feel this version has potential. If not, I’ll try to backtrack through the original and fix as much as I can.


End file.
